Lazio vs Atalanta
Stadio Olimpico is the venue as Lazio and Atalanta go head-to-head in a handsomely-looking Serie A encounter.
Ciro Immobile’s 106th-minute goal fired Lazio past Udinese in their Coppa Italia last-16 tie in midweek, as ‘I Biancocelesti’ have now kept back-to-back clean sheets in all competitions. Indeed, following a two-game winless start to the new calendar year (D1, L1), Maurizio Sarri’s men cruised to a landslide 3-0 victory at newly-promoted Salernitana last time out and could now win consecutive Serie A matches for the first time since mid-December. However, they have only picked up one triumph from their last four top-flight home outings (D2, L1), conceding first in each game they didn’t win in that period. Moreover, Lazio have failed to beat Atalanta in any of their previous four Serie A H2Hs held in the nation’s capital (D2, L2), shipping 3+ goals in each of the last three in a row.
In the meantime, Atalanta became the first Serie A side to keep reigning champions Inter Milan goalless last time out (0-0), extending their unbeaten league run to three games (W1, D2). Despite blowing hot and cold across their last four Serie A fixtures (W1, D2, L1), ‘La Dea’ can draw confidence from their outstanding away form this season. Coming into this matchday, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men are the only side in Italy’s top-flight yet to suffer defeat on hostile turf this term (W9, D2), winning seven of their last eight league trips (D1). Worryingly, though, the visitors have drawn a blank in two of their previous three Serie A matches despite boasting the division’s third-best scoring ratio (2.1 per game) this season. But it’s worth noting that Atalanta have avoided defeat in all three away league fixtures when conceding first so far (W2, D1).