Fiorentina vs Lazio
If you like football where you don’t know which club will win it all at the end of the season, then the Serie A is not the hottest league to watch right now.
Every football fan and their mother knows that Juventus still have a tight grip on the throne, and it will take a couple of years before they might even show cracks in their armour.
However, that doesn’t mean that there aren’t any significant Serie A 2019 updates and fixtures that are worthy of a football fan’s attention. There are plenty of passionate players in this league, and fireworks in games like these are never in short supply.
One such example is the Derby of Central Italy. Fiorentina should make things interesting for the Lazio when they visit the Stadio Artemio Franchi for this all-important match for Champions League places.
Talking Points
Lazio’s chase for fourth continue
The most interesting battle happening in the league at the moment is the race for the teams placed third to ninth for the last two Champions League spots. Juventus and Napoli have pretty much secured their spots this season. The allure and cash that comes with playing in Europe will push the remaining seven teams to give it everything they got to snag a spot in the prestigious European tournament.
Lazio are currently holding on to sixth and are tied with Torino and Atalanta in points. Sampdoria aren’t far behind with their 39 points while bitter rivals Roma are fifth with 44 points. They better pray that Inter’s poor form continues as they are holding the gate with 47 points.
However, things are chipper among Rome’s Biancocelesti faithful: the Eagles gave their fans a very satisfying night as they rendered the Giallorossi goalless in their dominant 3-0 display. Not only does the win allow them to smear on Roma’s then-superb run of wins, but it also helped them climb to where they are now.
However, that win doesn’t immediately make them easy favourites. Prior to their derby, Lazio failed to win four straight matches in Serie A, the Europa League, and the Coppa Italia. Moreover, their January loss against Juventus was such a heartbreaker.
Lazio have the players to help them keep their positive run going. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been a savant in the midfield. Ciro Immobile is still the incredible goal machine the fans have come to love and depend upon. Joaquin Correa has also established himself as a growing influence on the team.
Simone Inzaghi’s men could definitely win this match, but they need to focus on the task at hand.
The Viola is on the up
Lazio may be considered favourites to reign over Fiorentina, but the Viola are coming off an impressive run themselves.
While their most recent battle against Atalanta saw them suffer a 3-1 defeat, they were on a ten-game unbeaten streak in all competitions since December 2018. It was during one of those games that they gave Roma another reason to be ashamed after their 7-1 romp in the Coppa Italia. The run extended to the next leg of the Coppa Italia wherein Luis Muriel helped the team set up a Coppa rematch against Atalanta.
Muriel has been the club’s biggest player this season, and the Colombian has returned the club’s love for him by making his intentions of moving to the club permanently in the summer public. With his five goals in only six league appearances, there’s no doubt that the crowd also wishes the same.
However, he isn’t the only standout to watch out for: Jordan Veretout is handling things brilliantly from the middle of the pitch while Federico Chiesa is doing fantastic work on the wings. As long as German Pezzella and Nikola Milenkovic manage to hold the defensive line, there’s no reason for Fiorentina to win this match.
History
These two teams have represented Central Italy for quite a long time, but they have only lined up against each other for only a grand total of 49 times. Lazio won 28 of those games, and this nugget — alongside the Roman club’s pedigree in recent years — makes the pre-match Fiorentina vs Lazio predictions understandable.
Their last match saw Lazio win the game by a single goal, but the final score doesn’t really tell the entire story. Tottenham target Thomas Strakosha was important in the game as his shot-stopping helped Lazio stop an in-form Viola from taking the three points. Fiorentina also had more time with the football during that game.
Betting Tip
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Fiorentina vs Lazio | Total Goals 4-6 @ 3.25 |
| March 11 03:30 (GMT+8) |
Any Central Italy Derby will always be a bombastic affair, and the fact that there are Champions League spots to play for only adds gunpowder to the fireworks show that is this game.
Plenty of SBOBET tips favour Lazio as narrow winners, but I am unconvinced that they have the consistency to pull this off. I still believe that Ciro Immobile cannot carry this team alone and that they are still one player away from completely dominating the 50-50 matches.
Meanwhile, I’m sure that Fiorentina are eager to avenge their loss at the Stadio Olimpico and will be looking to score goals with the crowd behind them. Stefano Pioli will not allow the team to slip any further and keep themselves in the conversation for Europe spots.
Despite the uncertainty for the final result, there’s one assurance I can make: there will be goals. Both teams will be looking to score, and I expect a high-scoring affair.
A SHORT EXPLANATION ON HOW OUR ( ) BETS ARE WORTH: |
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|---|---|---|---|
| = €20 (Highly confident) |
 = €10 (CONFIDENT) |
= €5 (SOMEWHAT CONFIDENT) |
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Disclaimer: Odds are correct at time of publish.
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