Juventus-Lazio is a Coppa Italia quarter-final match to be played on Thursday at 21:00: odds, predictions, TV and streaming.
The Coppa Italia has always been an important goal for Massimiliano Allegri since he has been on the Juventus bench. To be fair, even when the coach from Livorno was unemployed for a two-year period, the Bianconeri often reached the bottom of this competition, which this year could be the only way to try and lift at least one trophy besides the Europa League.
The Federal Court of Appeal, in fact, dropped the Old Lady in the standings with the heavy penalty of fifteen points. And it’s still raining cats and dogs at the Continassa, as last Sunday’s home defeat against Monza (0-2) showed: the Biancorossi, as in the first leg, laid bare the structural problems of a team that is now also affected by what happened outside the pitch. And frankly, it would have been strange the other way around. The Coppa Italia, then, as a possible way out, a ‘bonus’ to exploit in one of the worst moments of its history. Up for grabs is a double semi-final with arch-rivals Inter, who prevailed in the final at the Stadio Olimpico last May. Juve progressed to the round of 16 by beating Palladino’s Monza, who were beaten by Chiesa’s magic.
In the league it was Bianconeri domination
In the quarter-finals, however, there is the interesting challenge with the Lazio of the former Maurizio Sarri, another team that, like the Bianconeri, seems to be particularly exalted in the national cup.
Marusic
The Biancocelesti are in the thick of the fight for a Champions League place but continue with their ups and downs. After the goleada against AC Milan came a narrow draw with Fiorentina (1-1), a match in which the Capitolini even risked losing in the final. The coach from Tuscany does not have fond memories of the last ‘trip’ to Turin: before the break for the World Cup, Lazio offered one of the worst performances of the season, wrecking 3-0 at the Allianz Stadium (two goals from Kean and a goal from Milik). On the other hand, there is great balance in the previous meetings between the two teams in the Coppa Italia: nine Juve wins, eight Lazio and seven draws. A statistic that tells us that anything is absolutely possible. Allegri meanwhile will still have to do without the returning Pogba, who has again stopped due to a flexor problem.
In attack, the two ex-Florentine players Chiesa and Vlahovic will duet together for the first time, while on the flank the returning Cuadrado will take his place. Sarri, on the other hand, is grappling with the doubt of Immobile: the striker played a few minutes against Fiorentina but it is not yet known if he will be able to start in Turin.
The Prediction
Juventus’ crisis is predominantly defensive, and from Naples onwards their rearguard, which looked ironclad, has failed to concede any goals. Lazio, whose attack seems to be back on track even without Immobile, should pierce it on at least one occasion, within a match that promises great balance anyway. We support the thesis of a vehement reaction from the Bianconeri, almost obliged to do well in the Coppa Italia. We must also take into account that the Stadium has been indigestible many times for the biancocelesti, who have not won here since 2017. Victory and Juve qualification in a match that is likely to guarantee at least three goals in total
Juventus-Lazio’s likely line-up
- JUVENTUS (3-5-2): Perin; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Locatelli, Fagioli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa, Vlahovic.
- LAZIO (4-3-3): Provedel; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli, Marusic; Luis Alberto, Cataldi, Milinkovic-Savic; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 2-1
