PRE MATCH: LAZIO VS JUVENTUS.

Juventus will look to climb up the Serie A table as they travel to the Stadio Olympico to face Lazio. Last season this would have been one of the games of the season to watch, but Lazio has struggled early this season and so has Juventus.

Juventus have won three and drawn three of their opening six games and are just four points behind early leaders AC Milan, who they will be looking to overtake as the season rolls on. Their hosts this weekend, Lazio, went through a tough spell at the start of the season but consecutive wins have them back on track. Although they are currently 10th, Simone Inzaghi’s side are just two points behind Juventus and can move past them with a win this weekend. However, to do so Lazio will need to overturn their recent record which has seen them win just two of the past 12 games against Juventus, with the Bianconeri winning the other 10. Lazio are still waiting on the availability on some players to get into the starting lineup. As of Press time today Ciro Mobile has tested positive for Corona Virus and will miss the clash vs Juventus, and that will be a huge loss for them as he is their number one scorer.

Juventus, meanwhile, will be without Aaron Ramsey, who suffered a muscle injury in the 4-1 win over Ferencvaros on Wednesday.

Here are some key players to watch in this game for each team.

Lazio: 

So much is uncertain about Lazio’s available players this weekend, but if they are forced to play a similar team to the one that drew with Zenit, then Sergej Milncovic Savic will be key. The Serbian has been one of Lazio’s most important players for some time now, though his contributions go beyond just goals and assists, of which he currently has two and one respectively. And fortunately for Lazio he was among the players available to face Zenit, playing the deepest role in the midfield. From there, he helped marshal the midfield in a tough 1-1 draw in Russia and against Juventus he could be required to do that once again. But if Lazio can call on more of their first team, the Serbian might be given more freedom to hurt the opposition defence.

Juventus:

Paulo has finally returned to the Juventus team after missing the start of the season and he could be key when the Bianconeri visit Rome. Perhaps one of the more under-appreciated of Juventus’ attackers both by fans and previous managers, Dybala has admittedly struggled this season after returning from an injury, but he has started the past two league games. Brought on from the bench against Ferencvaros in midweek, Dybala scored within just five minutes of his arrival and wanted to claim another, though it was officially given as an own goal. Lazio are his favourite opponents in Serie A, with Dybala scoring seven goals against the Biancocelesti, and the Argentine forward will be hoping he can add to that tally to get his league season up and running.

Prediction: Lazio 0-3 Juventus