Lazio might be flying high in the league standings, but Parma could prove to be a banana skin for the league leaders.
The Serie A clash between Lazio and Parma kicks off at 21:45 local time on Saturday, October 24 at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
To find out how to watch Lazio vs Parma in your respective country, check out this verified list of international TV listings.
Since losing on Gennaro Gattuso’s debut to Mantova in the Coppa Italia, the Biancocelesti have been virtually flawless. They have won six of their first seven Serie A games. A trio of slim victories over Bologna, Genoa and Udinese was followed by a 2-2 draw to AC Milan.
Interestingly, Lazio’s last three wins have come by larger margins. They toppled Venezia by two unanswered goals on the road before overcoming Monza 3-1 at home. Surprisingly, their biggest result ensued at the Allianz Stadium last Sunday, as they stunned Juventus by three goals to nil to remain on level on points with Inter Milan. The table shows the Aquile are in second due to an inferior goal difference.
The Ducali started their campaign on the wrong foot, collecting a single point from their first four league outings (they drew with Monza but lost to Cagliari, Juventus, and Como). The Emilians finally registered a victory on Matchday 5, beating Genoa 2-1, but it wasn’t enough to spare Carlos Cuesta, who was sacked during the international break and replaced by Alberto Gilardino.
Unfortunately for the 2006 World Cup winner, his return to the Ennio Tardini has been anything but pleasant. While a 0-3 defeat to Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza on his debut was hardly shocking, the same result was replicated when his team hosted Torino on Monday. These back-to-back defeats leave Parma in a miserable 19th place in the table with only four points in the bag.
Lazio (4-3-3): Mandas; Floriani Mussolini, Sutalo, Provstgaard, Tavares; Frattesi, Belahyane, Taylor; Isaksen, Noslin, Zaccagni.
Parma (3-5-2): Corvi, Delprato, Diego Carlos, Triolo, Britschgi, Keita, Bernabe, Fabbian, Valeri; Romero, Lontani.
When the league’s undefeated leader hosts a struggling team residing in 19th place, the odds are pretty obvious. However, the outcome might not be as straightforward as some might envision. Gilardino isn’t an innovative tactical genius by any means, but like his former Milan teammate Gattuso, he aims to embed a fighting spirit and pragmatic football.
The new coach’s project has yet to take shape, but perhaps the back-to-back beatdowns will trigger a reaction this weekend. Parma will, in all likelihood, adopt a low block and try to absorb the pressure, but Lazio’s superior quality should prevail as the game wears on.
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