After playing out their final Champions League group fixtures in midweek, Lazio and Inter Milan convene at Stadio Olimpico, as they go head-to-head in Serie A's Sunday night kickoff.
Both clubs were already through to the last 16 of Europe's top club competition before completing their respective campaigns, but the Biancocelesti trail league leaders Inter by some distance in the Italian top flight.
Match preview
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A tussle for top spot in Group E of the Champions League saw Lazio take on Atletico Madrid in the Spanish capital earlier this week, with just one point separating the two teams before kickoff.
The Rome club were unable to make up their deficit after a 2-0 defeat consigned them to second spot in the final group standings; nonetheless, having confirmed progress by beating Celtic last month, a place in the knockout phase still awaits.
The Biancocelesti were off-colour at the Metropolitano, just a few days after slipping up again in Serie A, when allowing lowly Hellas Verona to level Mattia Zaccagni's opener and then hang on for a point.
After three consecutive clean sheets - something of a rarity this season, following a series of shut-outs last term - Lazio have now leaked three goals in two games, and they remain marooned in mid-table approaching the halfway stage.
Last season's runners-up, Lazio have collected as few as 21 points from the first 15 rounds for the first time since 2015, leaving them looking up the leaderboard at city rivals Roma and several other top-six contenders above them.
Tackling in-form Inter, then, may carry some concern for coach Maurizio Sarri, despite his personal record against the Nerazzurri standing up to scrutiny: Sarri has won both home games as Biancocelesti boss versus Inter and is unbeaten at home against the Milanese giants in seven Serie A matches.
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Having failed to topple Lazio in Rome since October 2018, losing on three of four subsequent league meetings, Inter will be aiming to defy recent history when they arrive in the capital this weekend.
Simone Inzaghi again returns to his former club, where he enjoyed a fruitful playing career and then oversaw 197 Serie A matches as manager between 2016 and 2021, with his current team top of the pile in Italy and looking primed for success this season.
Coppa Italia winners and Champions League finalists last term, the Nerazzurri also confirmed their place in the latter competition's last 16 before the final matchday, putting the full stop on their Group D campaign with Tuesday's goalless draw against Real Sociedad in San Sebastian.
Leading old foes Juventus by one point at the Serie A summit - following wins over Scudetto-holders Napoli and struggling Udinese that featured seven goals without reply - Inter have posted more victories combined with a clean sheet (10) than any other club across Europe's top five leagues in 2023-24.
Also averaging 2.47 goals per game and conceding at a miserly rate of 0.47, Inzaghi's well-drilled side are the only team to feature in the top five of both rankings.
Having lost just once in all competitions, and not at all since September, Inter have won 12 of their first 15 Serie A matches for only the fourth time in their long and illustrious history; however, beating Lazio away from home has proved beyond Inzaghi so far.
Team News
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Lazio were without both Alessio Romagnoli (calf) and Gustav Isaksen (thigh) in midweek, but the former could be back in contention after taking part in training on Thursday.
Juventus loanee Nicolo Rovella returns after serving a European suspension, which should see Matias Vecino demoted to the bench, but Maurizio Sarri is set to make relatively few changes to the team that started in Madrid.
After making an impact as a second-half substitute against Atleti, Felipe Anderson is pushing for a start, having scored six goals versus Inter in the past - with four in his last five appearances. The Brazilian winger has netted just once in Serie A this season but has provided five assists, fewer only than Inter's Marcus Thuram and Roma striker Paulo Dybala, who both have six.
Meanwhile, Simone Inzaghi named a much-changed side to take on Real Sociedad - offering captain and top scorer Lautaro Martinez a rare rest - but will revert to his strongest available XI at Stadio Olimpico.
Martinez leads Inter's front line, having scored 28 league goals in 2023: only three players throughout the Nerazzurri's history have recorded more in a calendar year, including Giuseppe Meazza, after whom San Siro is officially named. 'El Toro' is now targeting the tally of Stefano Nyers, who racked up 32 Serie A strikes in 1951.
Dutch duo Denzel Dumfries and Stefan de Vrij - the latter a former Lazio player - are still sidelined by injury, while a recurring Achilles issue could rule out veteran wing-back Juan Cuadrado.
More positively for Inzaghi, first-choice defenders Alessandro Bastoni and Benjamin Pavard should be fit for selection, allowing Matteo Darmian to cover for the absence of Dumfries and Cuadrado on the visitors' right flank.
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Lazzari, Casale, Gila, Marusic; Guendouzi, Rovella, Alberto; Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni
Inter Milan possible starting lineup:
Sommer; Bisseck, Acerbi, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thuram, Martinez
We say: Lazio 1-2 Inter Milan
Inter have taken 19 points from a possible 21 in Serie A away games this season, making them a fearsome proposition on the road as well as in Milan. With Lazio's defence disrupted by injury and failing to live up to last term's high standards, expect the Scudetto favourites to capitalise thanks to their ruthless attack.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
