Lazio were forced to settle for second place in their UEFA Champions League (UCL) group, after a 2-0 loss to Atlético Madrid on Wednesday halted a season-best four-game unbeaten run in all competitions (W3, D1). With European action parked until February, the focus will now be on improving their Serie A (SA) fortunes where they were four points behind the top five after 15 rounds and wedged in a pack of four clubs separated by two points.
Their fall is perhaps no surprise when considering their recent five-game league form (W1, D2, L2), in which they aggregated just three goals to remain the joint-lowest scoring side among current top-ten clubs after 15 rounds. Stadio Olimpico has remained detached from their overall struggles, owing to their defensive strengths that helped Lazio win four of their last five league games here (D1). They have also managed four clean sheets along the way, accounting for 80% of their total shutouts in this top-flight campaign.
That could be bad news for Inter Milan who are searching for their first away SA H2H win since October 2018 (D1, L3 since). The Nerazzurri also settled for a second spot in their UCL group after a goalless draw against Real Sociedad, although it extended their unbeaten competitive run (W10, D4). Nine of those matches saw Inter keep a clean sheet, which has been a theme in their SA campaign too, with their league-best defensive record (GA: 7) playing a vital role in leading the table after 15 rounds.
The visitors have conceded just two goals on the road this league campaign (W6, D1), with this being only the third time in their top-flight history where they’ve won six of their first seven away matches. Yet, a failure to break their poor away H2H record could potentially see them lose the advantage to Juventus as the Scudetto race continues to appear a two-horse race.
Players to watch: Ciro Immobile has happy memories of being a host of Inter as his last two home SA H2Hs saw him contribute (G1, A1) in Lazio’s 3-1 wins. Lautaro Martínez could lead Inter’s response as he scored three of their last four SA goals against Lazio.
Hot stat: A penalty has been awarded in six of Lazio’s last nine SA home H2Hs.
