Preview: Udinese vs. Lazio
Having taken just four points from their last five matches, Lazio’s grip on a top-four Serie A finish has loosened of late, so they aim to get back on track by beating Udinese on Sunday evening.
The capital-city club have recently dropped from second to fourth in the standings, but victory in their penultimate away fixture would edge them closer to a cherished Champions League return.
It took a last-gasp equaliser from midfield maestro Sergej Milinkovic-Savic to save Lazio’s skin last time out, after they let a lead earned by Ciro Immobile’s opener slip and trailed heading into stoppage time at Stadio Olimpico.
While a 2-2 home draw with lowly Lecce hardly seems like a good result at first glance, salvaging a point stopped Maurizio Sarri’s men from suffering back-to-back losses at a crucial point in their 2022-23 campaign.
Lazio had looked favourites to finish runners-up to new champions Napoli after enjoying a run of seven wins from eight as winter turned to spring, but they are now left glancing over their shoulders as Serie A’s top-four race reaches its climax.
After losing to Torino, Inter and Milan in three of their previous four matches, last week’s draw at least stops the rot, and Sarri will now be particularly keen to resume normal service at the Dacia Arena. His team regaining their defensive equilibrium could be crucial in that regard.
If they can shut out any one of Udinese, Cremonese or Empoli during their final three fixtures, the Biancocelesti will become just the fourth team in the three-points-per-win era to record at least 20 clean sheets in a Serie A season.
Joining that club on Sunday would not only boost Lazio’s hopes of a Champions League comeback after two seasons away, but also extend their unbeaten run in Udine to a 10th league game.
Also accounting for games between the teams in Rome, Udinese have actually won only one of their last 16 Serie A matches against Lazio ahead of this week’s encounter; losing 10 times in the process.
In fact, the Bianconeri have failed to even score in 11 of those contests, yet the tide could be beginning to turn: they have drawn each of the last three, including a goalless outcome in October’s reverse fixture.
That stalemate at Stadio Olimpico was one of some 13 draws played out by Udinese this season, leaving them second only to Salernitana (14) in that respect and perhaps wondering what might have been.
While their fast start during Andrea Sottil’s first few months in the dugout has since slowed substantially, the Fruilani have recovered from a rotten mid-season run to go unbeaten through their last eight home matches – the club’s best such streak for 10 years – and can still achieve a rare top-half finish.
Facing an unfamiliar Fiorentina side last time out, as their hosts rested several players between two Europa Conference League semi-final legs, Udinese could not capitalise, and a 2-0 reverse at Stadio Franchi left them 12th – two points shy of the top 10.
Finishing as high as eighth could yet be on the cards for Sottil’s side, should they take several points against Lazio, Salernitana and Juventus in a challenging climax to their Serie A schedule, and having lost just twice at home all season, they may expect to start that sequence positively on Sunday.
We say: Udinese 0-1 Lazio
Always obdurate opponents at the Dacia Arena, Udinese will not make life easy for their capital-city counterparts, but injuries have diminished the hosts’ attacking threat. Lazio must surely snap out of their malaise before Milan make up ground and jeopardise their top-four placing, and victory on Sunday should help them do so.