Lazio make a trip to face Fiorentina on Monday looking to claim their fourth successive victory in Serie A, one which would keep them in the top four of the table.
On the other hand, the hosts have endured a disappointing campaign so far, occupying 11th position after recording two wins from their eight matches.
There was a time when Lazio recorded to many draws, but Maurizio Sarri deserves praise for the hob that he is currently doing at Stadio Olimpico.
As well as suffering just five League defeats since the start of 2022, Lazio have recorded just one loss during this campaign, a 2-1 reverse at home to leaders Napoli.
That run has left I Biancocelesti fourth rather than higher up in the table, but they have responded with three successive victories and clean sheets, scoring 10 goals in the process.
Although the level of opposition was not the highest, those results have kept Sarri’s side in the mix for top spot, ready to capitalise if Napoli lose their eight-game unbeaten run in the short term.
After a seventh-placed finish last season, Fiorentina head coach Vincenzo Italiano would have had high hopes for a similar campaign having been able to pull off some strong pieces of business in the transfer market.
However, the pressure is on Italiano to turn things around at Stadio Artemio Franchi, with Fiorentina down in the mid-table spots and struggling in the final third.
Their two Serie A victories this season have been against two of the current three occupants in the relegation zone, all but two of their goals for the season coming in those games.
However, Fiorentina pushed Atalanta last weekend, only losing 1-0 away from home, while they produced their best performance of the season on Thursday to beat Hearts 3-0 in the Europa Conference League.
Fiorentina vs Lazio head to head
These two teams have previously met on 58 occasions across all competitions, where Fiorentina have claimed 13 victories while Lazio have won 34, and they have drawn in 11. Lazio have scored 100 goals and conceded 57. In their last five meetings, Lazio have won four while Fiorentina have won one.
Lazio 2-1 Fiorentina 27/06/20
Lazio 2-1 Fiorentina 06/01/21
Fiorentina 2-0 Lazio 08/05/21
Lazio 1-0 Fiorentina 27/10/21
Fiorentina 0-3 Lazio 05/02/22
Fiorentina latest home form
Fiorentina have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have been unbeaten in their 11 most recent matches. They managed to defeat Hellas Verona 2-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded three.
Fiorentina 2-1 Twente 18/08/22
Fiorentina 0-0 Napoli 28/08/22
Fiorentina 1-1 Juventus 03/09/22
Fiorentina 1-1 Rigas FS 08/09/22
Fiorentina 2-0 Verona 18/09/22
Fiorentina latest away form
Fiorentina defeated Hearts 3-0 in their last away game in the Europa Conference League. However, they have recently failed to keep a good run of form on the road, having lost each of their previous four games. In their last five matches, they have scored four goals and conceded seven.
Udinese 1-0 Fiorentina 31/08/22
Bologna 2-1 Fiorentina 11/09/22
Istanbul Basaksehir 3-0 Fiorentina 15/09/22
Atalanta 1-0 Fiorentina 02/10/22
Hearts 0-3 Fiorentina 06/10/22
Lazio latest home form
Lazio have recently been on a good run of form at home, as they have lost just one of their 12 most recent matches. They managed to defeat Spezia 4-0 in their last home game in the league. In their last five matches, they have scored 14 goals and conceded five.
Lazio 3-1 Inter Milan 26/08/22
Lazio 1-2 Napoli 03/09/22
Lazio 4-2 Feyenoord 08/09/22
Lazio 2-0 Verona 11/09/22
Lazio 4-0 Spezia 02/10/22
Lazio latest away form
Lazio have recently been on a relatively good run of form on the road, having lost just one of their five most recent matches. They drew 0-0 with Sturm Graz in their last away game in the Europa League. In their last five matches, they have scored six goals and conceded six.
Torino 0-0 Lazio 20/08/22
Sampdoria 1-1 Lazio 31/08/22
Midtjylland 5-1 Lazio 15/09/22
Cremonese 0-4 Lazio 18/09/22
Sturm Graz 0-0 Lazio 06/10/22
Fiorentina news
Depending on whether a risk is taken with the fitness of Nikola Milenkovic, the defence from the league game against Atalanta could stay the same.
Changes could come further forward with Sofyan Amrabat and Jovic both in line to feature, but Jonathan Ikone and Antonin Barak may miss out for Fiorentina.
Lazio news
Sarri could decide to select the same side which defeated Spezia 4-0 in Lazio’s last Serie A game, while Luis Alberto has started the last two games and should remain in the midfield.
Centre-back Nicolo Casale remains absent through injury, but he is currently the only player unavailable for the visitors.
Prediction and Odds
Following their impressive away victory over Hearts in the Europa Conference League, Fiorentina will believe they can replicate that performance in the league on Monday.
However, Lazio’s recent form cannot be ignored, which leads us to predict a hard-fought victory for the visitors in their bid for a top-four finish.
Odds: 1 2.30 X 2.03 2 2.23
Probable outcomes
Fiorentina 0-1 Lazio
Fiorentina 0-2 Lazio
Fiorentina 1-2 Lazio
Fiorentina 1-1 Lazio
Fiorentina 2-1 Lazio
