The Sunday’s match between Lazio and Inter Milan is gonna decide which of these two teams is gonna play in the Champions League next season. The team from the Italian capital currently has three points more, but if Inter win they’re gonna overtake the fourth place in Serie A, as the head-to-head score is what matters. So, who’s gonna be the happier side after the ref blows the final whistle at the Olimpico? Find out in Lazio vs. Inter match preview!
Lazio
Lazio were tremendous this season and could’ve been even higher on the table if they didn’t fail to win against Atalanta and Crotone in the closing two rounds of the season. That said, their form might not be at a top level at the moment. Still, there’s so much in stake here, so they’ll need to snap out of it.
They definitely have the player quality needed to beat Inter, or at least play draw, like they did in the first half of the season. In that match, the score was 0:0, which is kinda surprising knowing that Lazio’s strongest weapon this season has been their attack.
Actually, Lazio is the team that has scored the most goals in Serie A this season. So far, they’ve scored 87 goals, which is 24 goals more than Inter. Their most prolific scorer has been Ciro Immobile, a striker who has 29 Serie A goals to his name in the 2017/2018 season on Serie A.
The player with most assists in this team is Luis Alberto, who has made 14 of them, which is actually more than what any other Serie A player did this season. Unfortunately for Lazio, both of their key men are struggling with injuries, so it’s not 100% sure they’ll feature in the game versus Inter.
Although their attack has been sensational, Lazio haven’t been too impressive in defense. They’ve allowed 46 goals in 37 matches, which isn’t a stat that they should be proud of. Furthermore, they will have to take on Inter without their key defender, Stefan de Vrij. The man who’s played more games than any other outfield Lazio player will miss the final match of the season for a reason that’s not totally clear. Some journalists believe it’s because de Vrij is joining Inter at the end of the season.
Inter
The fact that Lazio have been rather poor defensively is something that Inter will try to exploit. Spalletti’s team has so much attacking power that they seem capable of outscoring literally any opponent. It’s mostly due to the fact that their number nine is Mauro Icardi, whom many consider one of the best strikers on the planet.
Icardi has scored 28 goals in Serie A this season and is competing with Immobile for the Italian Golden Boot, the so-called Capocannoniere Award. But, it’s not Icardi who’s the only man responsible for Inter’s success this season. Perišić has been the man with the most assists while Brozović and Candreva are trailing behind each with just one assist fewer.
Knowing all this, it makes you wonder why Inter haven’t been competing for the title, but struggling to secure a spot in the Champions League. Well, the reason is that they haven’t been consistent with their good form. For example, two rounds ago they thrashed Udinese 4:1 but then went on to lose to Sassuolo at home.
Team News
Lazio absentees:
- Luis Alberto (doubtful)
- Ciro Immobile (doubtful)
- Marco Parolo (doubtful)
Inter absentees:
- Assane Gnoukouri (injury)
Possible Lineups
Lazio:
Strakosha – Radu, Caceres, Wallace, Basta, Lulic – Leiva, Marusic, Milinkovic-Savic – Felipe Anderson, Caicedo
Inter:
Handanovic – Skrinar, Miranda, Cancelo, D’Ambrosio – Brozovic, Valero, Rafinha, Candreva, Perisic – Icardi
Lazio vs. Inter Match Prediction
Bookmakers believe Lazio are the favorites here, but I have to disagree. Inter have a better team and considering that Lazio will probably miss a couple of their key players, I think we’re gonna see an away victory. Of course, it’s not gonna be easy, to say the least…
Lazio vs. Inter Betting Tips
- Inter @2.90 (bet365)