Serie A: Lazio Host Atalanta in First Game After the Break

Lazio vs Atalanta

The international break is over once again, which means that Serie A action is back to continue as Lazio get to host Atalanta in the league’s eighth match day.

The road team is currently riding a three-match winning streak with key victories against Roma, Sassuolo, and Lecce, and they are third at the table with 16 points just behind title contenders Inter Milan and Juventus.

On the other hand, Lazio are still looking for consistency with two wins, two losses, and one draw in their last five matches. Simone Inzaghi and his side will look to continue to surprise most teams as they continue to work under the shadows.

A win for Atalanta on this one will slightly improve their Serie A 2019 odds of winning the title since they will leapfrog over Inter Milan, while Lazio are aiming to hold to the sixth spot so that they could join in the Europa League qualifiers next year.

Allow SBOBET to take a look at what’s in store for this match on Saturday.

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Serie A

Talking Points

I Nerazzurri on a roll

The Black and Blues have had a strong start to the season with five wins, one loss, and one draw as they continue to emerge as one of Serie A’s dark horse contenders this term.

Even with their recent woes in the UEFA Champions League, there are still reasons to celebrate if you’re team boss Gian Piero Gasperini.

For starters, the Nerazzurri have opened their newly-renovated stadium two weeks ago in their win over Lecce after sharing shifts with Parma and they are also improving in terms of their attack as they currently lead the league with 18 goals made.

The lethal attacking duo of Duvan Zapata and Luis Muriel have combined for 11 goals and both are expected to continue to produce some of the best Serie A 2019 highlights as we go along.

While their attack is undoubtedly formidable, their defence needs some work as they’ve conceded 10 goals already in seven games. With veterans like Jose Palomino and Simon Kjaer in tow, their young backline duo of Timothy Castagne and Robin Gosens should continue to flourish under Gian Piero Gasperini’s 3-4-1-2 formation.

While Inter Milan and Juventus are fighting at the top, expect Atalanta to swoop right in if ever one of them slides down to the table.

Lazio should make some adjustments

I Biancocelesti would have to make some key adjustments on both the attack and their defence if they’ll finish at the top-four at season’s end.

We all know that Ciro Immobile can bring goals galore as he currently leads Serie A with seven. However, Simone Inzaghi would need to find someone to provide him ample support if they’re going to keep up against the best teams in the league since he only has Felipe Caicedo as a viable substitute for the 29-year-old.

Lazio striker Ciro Immobile is at the top of his form — Ciro Immobile celebrates after scoring Lazio’s second goal against Stade Rennes in the Europa League

The trio of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto, and Joaquin Correa look to be candidates to do that, as they’ve compiled two goals and eight assists already for this season. But with Inzaghi’s system, they should be able to generate more goals to outscore their counterparts and it’s something that they’ve already done before.

Two seasons ago, Lazio scored more goals than anyone in Serie A, with 89 goals in their 38 league games. In seven games this season, they have netted 13 already putting them on pace to achieve the same feat.

Inzaghi usually plays a 3-5-2 or a 3-4-1-2 formation and he encourages around six men to spearhead their attack, which sometimes leaves their backline exposed for counter-attacks from their opponents.

When they’re exposed, not only does their defence suffer but also their attack as they’ll have to exert a lot more effort to play defence more than they should.

I Biancocelesti have the talent on paper to pour in a lot of goals. They just need to make sure that their opponent won’t score as much as they do.

History

Lazio and Atalanta have faced each other 34 times with the former winning in 17, the latter winning in nine, along with eight draws.

I Nerazzurri have won in their last two Serie A matches against Lazio, and the last time that they had a three-game winning against them was back in 1990.

Atalanta have found the net in their last three away encounters against Lazio after having gone goalless in 10 of their previous 13 fixtures.