Sunday 19th February 2012, 7.45pm GMT (live on ESPN, Setanta IRL)
Lazio have performed better away from home than they have at the Stadio Olimpico so far this season, and they will need to be at their best on Sunday when they face the daunting task of taking on Palermo at the Stadio Renzo Barbera.
Palermo were defeated by Napoli in their first game of 2012, but they have won all three home games since then, scoring nine goals in the process. The Rosanero sit just three points behind Napoli in eighth place, and they will be eager to qualify for the Europa League once again, as they did last season (through the Coppa Italia).
Lazio showed both their strengths and frailties as a team all in the space of 90 minutes during their last league fixture. 2-0 down on the scoreboard by half-time, and down to ten men on the field, Edy Reja’s men staged a spirited second-half comeback to eventually beat Cesena 3-2. Their defensive problems were evident again yesterday when they lost 3-1 to Atletico Madrid in a home Europa League knockout stage fixture.
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| Will Palermo captain Miccoli terrorise Lazio's defence on Sunday? |
The Romans have failed to maintain consistent form for prolonged periods of this season thanks to a permanently debilitating injury list. Italian international midfielder Stefano Mauri has barely kicked a ball, while Hernanez, Rocchi, Radu, Dias, Kozak and Konko have all missed chunks of the campaign. In fact, Lazio’s current injury problems are so severe that three under-age players were included in the 19-man squad selected to face Atletico Madrid. It is to Reja’s credit that his team still hold a place in Serie A’s top three, and one wonders what they might have achieved with a fully fit squad.
Palermo have been scoring plenty of goals lately, and top scorer Fabrizio Miccoli is expected to return for this game having missed the defeat at Cagliari due to injury. This spells bad news for a Lazio defence who will be missing Konko and Diakite through suspension, while Radu, Dias and Biava are all struggling with injuries. What we have here is two teams with struggling defences who usually tend to compensate by scoring a few themselves. The result is a tough one to call, but I do expect to see a few goals on Sunday evening.
Prediction – over 2.5 goals – 5pts
Match odds: Palermo 6/4
Draw 21/10
Lazio 7/4
Over 2.5 goals evens
