Lazio to climb into Serie A's second spot
Lazio head into their penultimate Serie A game before the break for the FIFA World Cup with a real chance of using their game in hand to leapfrog AC Milan on goal difference in the table. To do that, they must beat an erratic Monza side at the Stadio Olimpico who are proving that they can compete after their promotion to the top tier. Read our preview here:
Nothing to Prove
I Biancocelesti quickly got over their crushing elimination from the UEFA Europa League by the narrowest of margins through a morale-boosting away win at Roma to maintain their grip on third in the standings. Goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, who signed in the summer from struggling Spezia, has been a mainstay between the sticks ever since he came on as a very early substitute against Bologna in August as a replacement for the dismissed Luís Maximiano. Since then, he has kept nine clean sheets across all competitions, being a massive contributor to the second meanest defence in the league, having conceded just eight in total. Sergej Milinković-Savić has served his suspension and will be looking to avoid a late injury so he can spearhead dark horses Serbia to success in Qatar.
Pess the buck
Whilst the rise of the visitors in the last few seasons hasn't been a fairytale, it has been meteoric under the colourful and equally controversial auspices of former president and Milan icon Silvio Berlusconi. After taking over in 2018, he has overseen a jump of two divisions in that four-year period, with the financial backing to make their first ever appearance in Serie A a far from brief one. On the pitch, Raffaele Palladino was appointed as head coach in September after I Brianzoli had only managed a single point in their opening six under previous boss Giovanni Stroppa; he has since led them to four wins from seven, including famous victories over Juventus and Udinese. No reliable goalscorer in the ranks has emerged, but they do appear harder to beat and more effective in the final third. Captain attacking midfielder Matteo Pessina, on loan from Atalanta, might have been a lock for the national side's roster for the World Cup had they qualified.
Betting tip
betway have odds for Maurizio Sarri's men to win to nil at 2.70.
