Cesena travel to Rome to face Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon, looking to build on their opening Serie A day victory.
The two teams have faced off only four times in Serie A, with the Biancocelesti coming on top winning three of these and Cesena emerging victorious in the other.
The last time these two played each other Lazio won 3-2 in a thrilling match at the Stadio Olimpico in the 2011/12 season. The away side were 2-0 up at half-time, but an inspired second half with goals from Hernanes, Senad Lulic and Libor Kozak ensured the club from the the capital got the three points.
All in all there has been ten goals in the four games the two have played with half coming in that thriller in the 2011/12 season.
The game on Sunday will see Lazio coach Stefano Pioli take charge in his first match at the Stadio Olimpico after taking over from Edoardo Reja in the summer. Pioli was in charge of Bologna for two and a half seasons and after a troublesome last season, he was sacked in January but his replacement Davide Ballardini could not save the Rossoblu.
Cavallucci Marini coach Pierpaolo Bisoli has been in charge since 2012/13 season after they got relegated from Serie A. In his second season he got the Emilian club promoted. Bisoli was in charge of Bologna before Cesena and was actually the coach who Pioli replaced when the now Cesena tactician was sacked.
The two teams had very different results on the opening day with Cesena pulling off an impressive 1-0 win over Parma who finished 6th place in Serie A last term.
Pioli’s first game in charge of Lazio did not go to plan though, as the Biancocelesti fell to a 3-1 defeat to AC Milan at the San Siro in what was Filippo Inzaghi’s Serie A debut as coach.
Lazio are expected to field a 4-3-3 formation against Cesena which they used against Milan in the last match, while the Cavallucci Marini are likely to stick to their 4-3-1-2.
The Aquile could be without five of their players as Ederson, Ogenyi Onazi, Alvaro Gonzalez, Federico Marchetti and Stefan Radu are all doubts.
The away side have Riccardo Cazzola and Andrea Tabanelli injured whilst Milan Djuric is suspended. Franco Brienza, Gregorie Defrel and last week’s goalscorer Alejandro Rodriguez are all doubts.
Expected Starting XIs
Lazio – Berisha; Radu, Cana, De Vrij, Basta; Lulic, Biglia, Parolo; Candreva, Klose, Keita
Cesena – Leali; Renzetti,Volta, Capelli, Lucchini; Coppola, Cascione, De Feudis; Brienza; Marilungo, Garritano
