Maurizio Sarri will be warning Lazio not to take their eye off the ball again after an emotional 1-0 victory over city rivals Roma. Felipe Anderson’s goal secured a first victory in three games (L2) for ‘I Biancocelesti,’ with Sarri admitting afterwards that their defeats against Salernitana and Feyenoord came because their “focus” was on facing their bitter enemies.
That derby victory at the weekend certainly got Lazio’s quest for a top four spot back on track though, as they look to qualify for the UEFA Champions League (UCL) for only the second time in eight seasons. They occupy one of Serie A’s (SA) UCL spots ahead of the round thanks to a run of just one defeat in eight SA outings (W6, D1), in which Lazio kept an incredible seven clean sheets in the process.
Lazio supporters will be confident of extending that run against a Monza side who arrive at the Stadio Olimpico having won just one of their six away fixtures since being promoted to SA for the first time this summer (D1, L4). Monza did manage to find some form at the weekend, ending a run of three straight defeats by beating bottom club Verona 1-0, though that victory was soured by losing Stefano Sensi to a nasty-looking injury.
Despite that blow, manager Raffaele Palladino admits the win felt like a “crossroads” moment for his side as it provided breathing space from the relegation zone. He is now hoping to create a little bit of history as Monza search for just their second ever victory at Lazio, whom they meet in the league for the first time since 1985/86 having lost five of their previous nine away H2H clashes (W1, D3).
Players to watch: Ciro Immobile is Lazio’s top scorer this season, with his six goalscoring appearances each being the first or last in a match. Meanwhile Monza’s Gianluca Caprari, who started his career at Roma, has never scored in a dozen clashes with Lazio, finishing on the losing side eight times (W1, D3)!
Hot stat: Each of Monza’s six SA away matches this season saw the first goal scored within the opening 35 minutes.
