Lazio host Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico in the Coppa Italia quarter finals on Wednesday night, in a rematch of last season’s final.
The Bianconeri have now won 11 consecutive games – 10 in Serie A and the Coppa Italia 4-0 thrashing of Torino – and seem currently unstoppable, having piled together 30 goals in this streak, only conceding 6.
Lazio in the meantime have won just three of their last 10 games, including the Coppa Italia fixture against Udinese, with impressive victories away to Inter and Fiorentina.
The last game between the two sides saw Juventus win 2-0 in the Olimpico thanks a goal by Paulo Dybala and a Santiago Gentiletti own goal. This season they also played each other in the Italian Supercup in August, with Juventus grasping the victory with goals by Mario Mandzukic and Dybala.
The last time they met in the Coppa Italia, though, was the final of last season’s edition, with the Bianconeri lifting the trophy thanks to an Alessandro Matri winner in extra time.
Matri now plays for the Biancocelesti, but will be on the bench on Wednesday night a Stefano Pioli will play with Filip Djordjevic as centre forward, with Miroslav Klose on the bench. New signing Milan Bisevac might start in defence, although Pioli is more likely to play his usual four. Felipe Anderson is set to start, alongside Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Antonio Candreva, with Danilo Cataldi making a return in the middle next to captain Lucas Biglia.
Massimiliano Allegri, on the other hand, will deploy his usual 3-5-2 system but with some differences to his standard starting eleven. Norberto Neto should replace captain Gianluigi Buffon in goal, with Martin Caceres playing in centre right in defence instead of the injured Andrea Barzagli. Stefano Sturaro is set to start in midfield next to Claudio Marchisio and Paul Pogba. Juan Cuadrado is also set to start again on the right. Allegri will give playing time to Simone Zaza and Alvaro Morata up front instead of the usual Dybala and Mandzukic.
Recent form: Lazio (W-W-D-W-D) Juventus (W-W-W-W-W)
Expected Starting XIs
Lazio (4-2-3-1): Berisha; Basta, Mauricio, Hoedt, Radu; Cataldi, Biglia; Felipe Anderson, Milinkovic-Savic, Candreva; Djordjevic.
Juventus (3-5-2): Neto; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Cuadrado, Sturaro, Marchisio, Pogba, Evra; Zaza, Morata.
