The Allianz Stadium in Turin will play host to the latest installment of the Coppa Italia quarterfinal when the hosts Juventus welcome visitors Lazio on Thursday at 20:00 GMT.
Juventus will be looking to move on from the off-field issues surrounding their points deduction and the resulting negative publicity. However, this has affected their form; they are winless in their last three Serie A outings.
Lazio will be looking to maintain their good form by qualifying for the semifinals at the expense of Juventus. On Thursday, the third-placed side will be looking to inflict further misery on the Old Lady.
Key Highlights
Juventus’ Form and Mentality
After the points deduction, Juventus’ position on the table is currently 13th with 23 points. They are 10 points above the drop zone and 30 points off the top.
Massimiliano Allegri will have to work on picking up the confidence of his charges and motivating them to play football for the rest of the season. This starts with the quarterfinal of the Coppa Italia clash with Lazio on Thursday.
Winless in the last three matches, with two defeats and a draw, Allegri and his charges will need to regroup and get ready to play against a Lazio side that is in good nick at the moment.
Lazio’s Pursuit for Silverware
Sitting third on the Serie A table and unbeaten in the last four, Maurizio Sarri’s Lazio will be confident they can get a good result against Juventus in Turin on Thursday.
Their good form, coupled with the bad form at Juventus, will give them a good dynamic to go to the Allianz Stadium and try to knock out the hosts from the Coppa Italia and bolster their chances of winning silverware this season.
Sarri’s in-form side will look to transfer their league form to the cup when they travel to Turin on Thursday.
Injury Report
Juventus
Allegri will be without right-midfielder Juan Cuadrado (unknown injury), center-forward Arkadiusz Milik (hamstring), and right-winger Federico Chiesa (long-term injury). Cuadrado, Milik, and Chiesa have missed one match each in January. Chiesa will face a late test to examine his fitness ahead of the Lazio match.
Center-back Leonardo Bonucci is also missing from action. The 35-year-old has been nursing a torn abductor muscle since December 13th, 2022. Center-forward Kaio Jorge is also missing with a patella rupture. The 21-year-old is expected back fit by February 2nd; however, this game will come too soon for him.
Lazio
Maurizio Sarri will be without left-back Stefan Radu for the clash with Juventus on Thursday. The 33-year-old has been nursing a muscle injury since January 26th. He has missed one match so far, with no return date set.
Lazio will also have to contend with the absence of right winger Luka Romero. The 18-year-old is suspended and will be available for selection from February 20th.
The rest of the squad will be available for selection, which will boost Sarri ahead of the crunch clash with Juventus.
Possible Lineups
Juventus
W. Szczesny; F. Gatti, G. Bremer, Danilo; M. De Sciglio, N. Fagioli, L. Paredes, A. Rabiot, F. Kostic; A. Di Maria, M. Kean
Lazio
I. Provedel; E. Hysaj, A. Ramagnoli, N. Casale, A. Marusic; S. Milinkovic-Savic, D. Cataldi, L. Alberto; Pedro, F. Anderson, M. Zaccagni
Prediction
Juventus will look to leverage the home support and spur their performance with high energy and tempo. They will stay defensively compact and use the break to pose an attacking danger.
Lazio will press high up the pitch, control possession, and set the match’s tempo. They will force Juventus back and create chances by passing between the lines.
Lazio will win this match and progress to the semifinals of the Coppa Italia.
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