Juventus will be keen to make the most of home advantage against Lazio in the Coppa Italia semifinal first leg.
Juventus will take on Lazio for the second time in four days when they welcome the Romans to the Allianz Stadium for the first leg of the 2023/24 Coppa Italia semi-final on Tuesday night.
Massimiliano Allegri’s men were bitterly defeated by Lazio in Serie A at the weekend, a loss that sees them fall further behind the Milan clubs in the race for a top two finish. With no European football to boot, the Coppa Italia remains the Bianconeri’s lone chance of silverware this season.
Igor Tudor took full advantage his former side’s passive gameplan to get his stint at Lazio to a winning start. He will now aim to bring further misery to a club where he served with distinction both as a player and a coach.
Allegri, on the other hand, will be under mounting pressure following an abject run of results since January. Unless he can turn thing around, the Italian tactician’s head could be on the chopping block come next summer. Allegri’s start to 2024 hit another rough patch over the weekend as Juventus struggled to find the back of the net in back-to-back league matches, extending their winless streak to four games.
The slump in Turin since the beginning of the year has been quite remarkable, with Juventus managing just one victory — a narrow 3-2 win against Serie A strugglers Frosinone on February 25 — since their convincing 3-0 win over Lecce on January 21.
Juventus have a rich history in the Coppa Italia, having reached seven of the last nine finals. Allegri is hopeful that their past success will serve as inspiration as the struggling giants seek a positive result in Tuesday’s match to set them up nicely for the return leg on April 23.
Team News & Tactics
Juventus
Massimiliano Allegri surprised several onlookers by switching from his usual 3-5-2 to a attacking minded 4-3-3 in the weekend’s clash against Lazio. However, his overly passive tactics ensured that the players were unable to take full advantage of their setup. It remains to be seen if he will return to familiar plans this time around.
The attack will be given a shot in the arm thanks to the return of star striker Dusan Vlahovic, who was suspended for the previous two games. The Serb should give the Bianconeri frontline more bite, giving Igor Tudor and Co. something to be concerned about.
Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli are suspended, while the trio of Arkadiusz Milik, Alex Sandro, and Carlos Alcaraz are out injured. Meanwhile, Filip Kostic is also a doubt to feature on the night.
One could argue that Allegri was testing the waters in the Serie A tie and will have more conviction of how to deploy his troops in a 4-3-3 this time around. Mattia Perin should get the nod over Wojciech Szczesny in goal.
The Italian shot-stopper should be protected by the back four of Mattia De Sciglio, Daniele Rugani, Gleison Bremer, and Andrea Cambiaso. The trio of Manuel Locatelli, Adrien Rabiot, and Weston McKennie are expected to form the central midfield trifecta.
The in-demand Federico Chiesa should start upfront alongside Vlahovic. Both players have been the lynchpin of Juventus’s frontline this season and will hope to rekindle that relationship on the night with Timothy Weah occupying the right flank.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Perin; Cambiaso, Bremer, Rugani, De Sciglio; McKennie, Locatelli, Rabiot; Weah, Vlahovic, Chiesa
SS Lazio
Igor Tudor is still getting his players accustomed to his tactics and deployed a traditional 4-4-2 on the night. Juventus are unlikely to be too passive in front of their home crowd, and the tactics will need to be suitably amended.
He is likely to shift to the 3-4-2-1 formation ahead of the 4-3-3 that Maurizio Sarri implemented at Stadio Olimpico. However, he will have to do so without Ivan Provedel, who is ruled out with an ankle injury while Juventus-owned Nicolo Rovella is also unlikely to feature. However, Luca Pellegrini is back available after serving his suspension.
Several other familiar names should also return to the playing XI, having settled for a spot on the bench at the weekend. Christos Mandas should start in goal behind the back three of Mario Gila, Alessio Romagnoli, and Nicolo Casale.
Luca Pellegrini and Adam Marusic should offer width as the full-backs, with Daichi Kamada and Danilo Cataldi holding fort in the middle of the park. Luis Alberto and Mattia Zaccagni should act as dual number tens, with Ciro Immobile returning to lead the line for Lazio against Juventus.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Mandas; Gila, Romagnoli, Casale; Pellegrini, Kamada, Cataldi, Marusic; Alberto, Zaccagni; Immobile
Key Stats
- Juventus have won just once since the beginning of February, a run of of nine games across all competitions.
- Juventus are the most successful side in the competition’s history, having won it 14 times and having reached the final 21 times in total.
- Lazio have won the Coppa Italia seven times and have made the final 10 times so far.
- Juventus have made the final of the Coppa Italia in seven of the nine previous years.
Player to Watch
Dusan Vlahovic
The Serbian striker’s return will add more bite to Juventus’s attack and should offer the home side a focal point in attack. With Arkadiusz Milik unavailable and Moise Kean’s scoreless streak scaling lower troughs, it is difficult to see beyond Vlahovic to offer Massimiliano Allegri salvation.
Federico Chiesa should also find more space to work his magic thanks to the Serb and as long as the duo turn up, Juventus should be reasonably confident of getting their campaign back on track.
Prediction
Juventus 1-0 Lazio
Juventus have little option but to go for it, and Massimiliano Allegri will be feeling the heat in front of the home fans to take the game to the opposition. Lazio will be buoyed by their weekend triumph but are likely to adopt a safety first approach given that there is a second leg. The game is unlikely to be open and should be decided by fine margins. The Hard Tackle predicts a narrow 1-0 win for the Bianconeri.
