The Italian giants of Juventus and Lazio are locked together on 13 points in the Serie A standings and go toe-to-toe for three crucial points on Saturday night in Turin. Still within touching distance of the top spot, Juventus were held to a frustrating draw before the international break and remain unbeaten through their opening seven matches of the 2024-25 campaign under new head coach Thiago Motta.
Match Preview:
Juventus forward Dusan Vlahovic, in action on September 21, 2024, had helped the Bianconeri take the lead in their recent game against troubled Cagliari thanks to an early penalty. Still, a late mistake by Douglas Luiz, who conceded an 88th-minute penalty, saw Juve let their lead slip to finish with a disappointing 1-1 draw. Despite this setback, Motta’s men stay within three points of Serie A leaders Napoli and are yet to taste defeat this season.
Motta, briefed to reduce the average age of Juventus’ squad, has done well so far as youngsters like Nicolo Savona and Samuel Mbangula have earned starting places. Juventus now have Serie A’s second-youngest team, behind only newly promoted Parma.
But Juventus have not been in good form at home, as they have now drawn three league matches in a row at the Allianz Stadium – a sequence that began under their old manager Max Allegri. Incredibly, the Bianconeri have drawn 14 of their 27 league matches in 2024 – the most of anyone in Europe’s top five leagues.
Juventus, though, despite their recent struggles at home, will go into this fixture with confidence as they have traditionally been strong against Lazio in Turin, where they have lost only once in their last 20 Serie A meetings, securing 15 victories in those games.
Lazio’s Form:
Since the appointment of Marco Baroni, Lazio have picked up some very good form. Indeed, having beaten Juventus 1-0 in March, the Biancocelesti now have two wins from their last three league meetings against the Turin giants – a total equal to their number of victories from their previous 36 combined.
Baroni’s team goes into Saturday’s contest full of confidence, having posted four straight wins in Serie A and the Europa League. That was further evident in a thrilling 2-1 comeback victory against Empoli before the international break with the veteran forward Pedro netting the winner late on. Lazio have earned seven points from losing positions this season, more than any other side in Serie A.
While Lazio’s fortunes at home have been quite brilliant, having won seven out of their last nine Serie A home matches, their away form has been inconsistent. This season, they manage an average of just one point per away match, which is quite a contrast compared to home matches.
Current Form
Juventus Serie A form: WDDDWD
Juventus (all competitions): DWDWWD
Lazio Serie A form: LDWLWW
Lazio (all competitions): WLWWWW
Team News:
Juventus will be without a number of key players in this game. Arkadiusz Milik and Bremer are still out following knee surgery, while summer signings Teun Koopmeiners and Nico Gonzalez are also out. Weston McKennie and Nicolo Fagioli also returned from international duty carrying slight injuries, while forward Francisco Conceicao is banned. On the plus side, Tim Weah returns from an ankle injury, and in-form Serbian striker Dusan Vlahovic-six goals in seven league games against Lazio-will spearhead the attack.
By contrast, Lazio are in much better shape injury-wise — only Manuel Lazzari has been ruled out with a thigh problem. Matteo Guendouzi might feature should he overcome a bruised toe, and the midfielder’s understudy, Matias Vecino, waits in the wings to provide cover. Full-back Nuno Tavares has been one of the stars of the season so far for Maurizio Sarri’s side with five assists across five Serie A games — only Arsenal’s Bukayo Saka has more across Europe’s top leagues.
Predicted Lineups:
Juve: Di Gregorio; Savona, Kalulu, Gatti, Cabal; Locatelli, Thuram; Cambiaso, Yildiz, Mbangula; Vlahovic
Lazio: Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Rovella, Guendouzi; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni; Castellanos
