Lazio will be keen to put their Serie A misfortunes behind them when they take on Atletico Madrid in their UEFA Champions League Group Group E opener.
SS Lazio have endured a difficult start to their Serie A campaign and will be keen to get their season willing when they take on Spanish giants Atletico Madrid in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday night.
Maurizio Sarri’s men have lost three of their opening four games in the league this season. The defeat to Juventus at the weekend puts them further behind in the race for a top-four spot. One of the Italian top flight’s best defences last season, Lazio are anything but stingy this time around.
Atletico have uncharacteristically been strong in front of the goal this season and will hope to take advantage of Lazio’s struggles. This is the first time that both teams are facing each other in Europe’s top competition. In fact, the last time they met was in the UEFA Europa League (then UEFA Cup) 2011/12 Round of 32 fixture where Atletico prevailed 4-1 over both legs.
Having been eliminated at the group stage last season, Diego Simeone’s men will be keen to make an impact and go far in the competition. After all, it remains the holy grail for a team that has never won the competition in their history and have had to live with Real Madfrid’s legendary status in it.
Given that the other two teams in the group are Celtic and Feyenoord, Lazio and Atletico go into opening day full well knowing that they are the favourites to progress. However, a loss on opening day could see some doubts creep in, giving the less illustrious side in the fray to spring a surprise or two.
Simeone will be familiar with the opponents, having spent four years as a player at Lazio. He enjoyed success in Rome but will hope to put his old side to the sword when they take to the field on Tuesday. Given the lack of confidence flowing through Sarri’s roster, the time is rife for Atletico to make a statement. A thumping win will achieve just that.
Curiously, Lazio’s lone win in the league this season came against reigning Scudetto holders Napoli SSC. Surely Sarri’s men are capable of beating the best on their day. Simeone is a more wary manager than most and toppling his tactics will take some doing. The Hard Tackle looks at how both sides could line up on Sunday and what tactics they might employ.
Team News & Tactics
SS Lazio
Despite the poor start to the season, Lazio have shown more attacking impetus this season and have also added Daichi Kamada to their frontline. However, their defence, which helped them finish in the top four last season has fallen off the radar.
Sarri has no injury concerns but is expected to make a few changes to the side that fell to Juventus at the weekend. The Italian tactician is expected to retain his 4-3-3 formation but with some players swapped out.
Ivan Provedel is a sure shot to start in goal behind the back four of Adam Marusic, Nicolo Casale, Alessio Romagnoli and Elseid Hysaj. Daichi Kamada and Luis Alberto are expected to start in the midfield, with Matteo Guendouzi coming in for Danilo Cataldi in the middle.
#UCL 📋
Il programma della vigilia di #LazioAtletiTutto in diretta su LSC e LSR! pic.twitter.com/8FOLx2ctRB
— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) September 17, 2023
The 29-year-old has seemed out of sorts this season and could do with a short spell on the bench to regain his mojo. All eyes will be on Guendouzi to take the chance with both hands and put in a dominant performance in the middle of the park.
Lazio’s all-time goalscorer Ciro Immobile should lead the line, and the Italian skipper will be the home side’s target man in the attack. His ability to dispatch chances could prove decisive against a defensively tight-knit side like Atletico Madrid. Felipe Anderson and Mattia Zaccagni should provide support and also the width on the night. Hoe well they can get behind the Atletico backline would decide the tone of the match.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Kamada, Guendouzi, Alberto; Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni
Atletico Madrid
The Spaniards have emerged as top dogs under Diego Simeone but have struggled to go all the way in the competition. Last season they were humbled early on and will be keen to avoid another season of embarrassment at the top table of European football.
However, unlike Lazio, Atletico have several injuries to contend with. Thomas Lemar has now joined Koke and Rodrigo De Paul on the sidelines, ruling them out of the trip to Rome. The departure of Yannick Carrasco robs Simeone of a versatile player capable of donning several rules. With Mepnis Depay also injured, the visitors have decisions to make this gameweek.
📋 Estos son los convocados por @Simeone para el primer duelo de Champions. pic.twitter.com/NquVWoOWxh
— Atlético de Madrid (@Atleti) September 18, 2023
However, Simeone is likely to retain his 5-3-2 formation that utilises the full-backs to offer width while also using strength in numbers to stifle opposition attacks. Jan Oblak is sure to start in goal behind the backline of Naheul Molina, Cesar Azpilicueta, Stefan Savic, Axel Witsel and Javi Galan. Molina and Galan will be expected to push forward when they can and provide more bite in the attack.
Pablo Barrios is the lone reliable central midfielder available and should be flanked by Marcos Llorente and Saul Niguez in the middle of the park. Alvaro Morata has a good record against Lazio and will be keen to add to that tally on the night. He will be supported by Antoine Griezmann upfront. The Frenchman is also expected to drop deeper and act as an auxiliary number 10 when needed.
Probable Lineup (5-3-2): Oblak; Molina, Azpilicueta, Witsel, Savic, Galan; Saul, Barrios, Llorente; Griezmann, Morata
Key Stats
- This is the first time that Lazio and Atletico Madrid will face off in the UEFA Champions League.
- Atletico Madrid have won just one of their last five games against Italian opponents in the competition. Lazio, meanwhile, have won just one of their six matches against Spanish teams in the competition.
- Lazio are currently on a six-game unbeaten run in the UEFA Champions League as far as Group Stage clashes are concerned.
- The last time Lazio kept a clean sheet in the competition was in 20023 against Besiktas. Since then, they have gone 19 games without a clean sheet, the worst record of any Italian sie in the competition, a record they share with cross-city rivals AS Roma.
- Atletico Madrid have not exited the UEFA Champions League at the Group Stage for two consecutive campaigns.
Player to Watch
Luis Alberto
The Spaniard is Lazio’s key attacking spark in midfield and will be trusted to pave the door open for Ciro Immobile and co. Alberto scored at the weekend and was among the few players to come out from the trip to Turin with a semblance of credit to his name.
Atletico showed at the weekend that they can be caught out with smart passes and Alberto excels in just that role. Add to it his ability to carry the ball forward and also take dangerous free-kicks, one can see why he is the conductor of Sarriball in the team.
Prediction
SS Lazio 2-2 Atletico Madrid
Both Lazio and Atletico are coming off losses at the weekend and will want to ensure all three points to rebuild momentum. However, given that they both are likely to defeat Celtic and Eindhoven, matches against each other could prove to be a defense-first display.
However, both teams have struggled to keep clean sheets and can be expected to concede on the night. A high-scoring 2-2 draw should should both sides share the spoils.
