Lazio vs Juventus

Stadio Olimpico forms the backdrop for the return leg of a mouth-watering Coppa Italia semi-final tie between Lazio and Juventus, with the hosts trailing 2-0 after the first leg in Turin.

After back-to-back defeats ‘to nil,’ including a gut-wrenching derby loss to Roma, Igor Tudor’s charges have got back on track, winning their last two Serie A outings against Salernitana and Genoa to set themselves up nicely for this contest. However, securing a shot at Coppa Italia glory for the first time since 2018/19 hinges on extending their winning run to three games, a feat they last managed between December and January! Tudor’s touchline debut at the Olimpico saw Lazio squeeze past Juventus 1-0, so there’s hope. But another one-goal margin triumph will not be enough to turn this tie on its head. Tudor’s see-saw start at the helm (W2, L3), combined with Lazio’s profligacy that has seen them score 2+ goals in just two of their last ten competitive games, can’t inspire much confidence.

Protecting a handsome first-leg advantage is imperative for Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri amid fans’ unrest and constant calls for his dismissal. Juventus stuttered at the weekend, sharing the spoils with Serie A minnows Cagliari in a 2-2 draw to stretch their abysmal winless run on the road to six matches (D3, L3). Home and away, the record-time Italian champions have only won three of their 13 competitive outings since January (D4, L6), casting further doubt on their bid to get into the win column. Luckily for Allegri, his men don’t need a win at the Olimpico, where they’ve lost three of their last five meetings with Lazio (W1, D1), to get a step closer to lifting their first silverware since 2021.