Lazio vs Internazionale – Serie A – Preview

Posted on May 1, 2016 by Sreya

Lazio hosts Internazionale at Stadio Olimpico, Rome on 1st May, Sunday as the 2015/16 Serie A season reaches its business end. Lazio are on the ninth position in Serie A standings with forty eight points from their thirteen wins and nine draws.

Internazionale are on the fourth position with sixty four points from their nineteen wins. Roberto Mancini’s men travel to Rome needing a win to keep alive their slim Champions League qualification hopes, with Inter seven points behind third-placed Roma with three games left in Serie A.

Lazio have lost their last two league fixtures against Juventus and Sampdoria, while Inter Milan defeated Udinese 3-1 last week after a shocking 1-0 loss to Genoa in the preceding match.

Team News

Stefan de Vrij, Stefan Radu, Alessandro Matri and Ricardo Kishna are sidelined through injuries for the hosts while Antonio Candreva, Marco Parolo and Milan Bisevac have been listed as doubts. Roberto Mancini, however, has a completely healthy squad to choose from.

Lazio Possible Starting Lineup: Federico Marchetti, Dusan Basta, Wesley Hoedt, Santiago Gentiletti, Abdoulay Konko, Ogenyi Onazi, Lucas Biglia, Senad Lulic, Antonio Candreva, Miroslav Klose, Keita.

Internazionale Possible Starting Lineup: Samir Handanovic, Danilo D’Ambrosio, Jeison Murillo, Miranda, Yuto Nagotomo, Geoffrey Kondogbia, Gary Medel, Marcelo Brozovic, Stefan Jovetic, Mauro Icardi, Ivan Perisic.

Thoughts From Both Camps

“This game counts because we need a major performance, we play against a team very well built, has lost points after a great first round, playing deep and we have to be good at making the perfect match.

I expect a game where we have to be good at covering the field and not give way on the outside, [they] have quality strikers. We’ll have to be strong in one on one and we have to be bad when we recover the ball.

– Simone Inzaghi, Lazio.

“We can talk about any regret we may have next Saturday. There hasn’t been a single game where we haven’t set out to win. We’ve always done our very best but this is football: you win some and you lose some.

We need to produce three top performances because you never know what can happen. As long as third place is still possible we’ll keep trying.”

– Roberto Mancini, Internazionale.

Contributor’s Pick

According to Head-2-Head statistics, the last six matches between these two clubs have resulted in three wins for Lazio and two wins for Inter Milan.

Lazio have seen over 2.5 goals in their last four matches against Inter in all competitions. However, there have been under 2.5 goals scored in Inter’s last four away games in the Serie A.

It should be a closely contested affair but Internazionale are likely to win 2-1.