Cremonese vs Lazio – News and Probable Lineups

Currently sitting four points away from safety with just four matches left to play, the relegation-threatened Cremonese aim for an unexpected victory against Lazio this Monday at Stadio Zini.

While the home side fights to avoid relegation from Serie A, their opponents are comfortably placed in mid-table and are also keeping an eye on an upcoming cup final.

Match overview

With an immediate return to Italia’s second division on the horizon, Cremonese needs to stop their decline back into Serie B after gaining promotion via the playoffs last season.

Although they have a game in hand over Lecce, currently in 17th place after their victory in Pisa on Friday night, Cremonese now finds themselves four points behind their main rivals for relegation.

Having suffered a 4-0 defeat to Napoli in their last outing, Cremo has been spiraling downwards for some time, managing only one win from their past 20 league games—losing 14 and drawing five.

Despite three of their remaining four matches being at home, the Lombardy club has collected only 13 points out of a possible 48 at Stadio Zini so far this season.

Moreover, they have yet to secure a victory there in 2026, and a mere four goals scored at home this season highlights their struggles: after both players started the campaign in good form, Jamie Vardy has faced injury problems, while Federico Bonazzoli has yet to find his rhythm.

They must turn this around to avoid relegation. When Cremo played against Lazio in December, the previous match ended in a 0-0 draw while Davide Nicola was still the manager, but current head coach Marco Giampaolo now seeks full points on Monday.

After a tense penalty shootout secured their spot in the Coppa Italia final, Lazio returned to league action last week when they faced Udinese at Stadio Olimpico.

With the match level at 1-1 during the final ten minutes, Maurizio Sarri’s side took the lead, fell behind, and then managed to equalize thanks to Daniel Maldini’s late contribution.

The thrilling 3-3 draw left Lazio in eighth position, six points behind Atalanta, who currently holds the final European qualification spot.

That scenario hinges on Inter de Milão winning the cup, but Lazio have other ambitions, especially as lifting the trophy on home soil could salvage a disappointing season.

Facing tensions with their fan base and some financial strain, the Biancocelesti risk missing out on Europe for a second consecutive year, yet they have shown signs of progress since the transition from winter to spring.

In addition to defeating Atalanta in the Coppa Italia semi-finals, Sarri’s team has triumphed in four of their last seven Serie A encounters, matching their total wins from the previous 17 matches.

Most notably, they recently ended Napoli’s long unbeaten run at Stadio Maradona—however, Lazio’s away form has been peculiar.

As they prepare for their trip to Cremona, Lazio has failed to score in a league-high 10 away fixtures this season, although their nine clean sheets match the superb record of Inter.

Team News

Cremonese has welcomed midfield duo Martin Thorsby and Michele Collocolo back into full training, but Faris Moumbagna is likely to miss out once again.

The home team might also be without Vardy, who is continuing to deal with a muscular injury, which means Milan Djuric, Antonio Sanabria, and David Okereke could compete to partner Bonazzoli in attack.

The latter remains Cremo’s top scorer, despite not finding the net from open play since early March; he has also played 12 times against Lazio in Serie A without contributing to a single goal.

Lazio’s front line has struggled similarly, with wingers Matteo Cancellieri, Gustav Isaksen, and Pedro currently tied as the club’s leading scorers with four goals each.

Including his latest goal against Udinese, Pedro has now scored 17 Serie A goals as a substitute since joining Italia in 2020—no player has matched that tally over this period.

While Cancellieri is set to serve a suspension this Monday evening, Isaksen could be reinstated to Lazio’s right wing.

It remains uncertain if captain Mattia Zaccagni will recover from a bruised thigh, and both first- and third-choice goalkeepers Ivan Provedel and Alessio Furlanetto are ruled out due to injury.

Cremonese probable starting XI:

Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Luperto, Pezzella; Barbieri, Bondo, Maleh, Vandeputte; Bonazzoli, Sanabria

Lazio probable starting XI:

Motta; Lazzari, Romagnoli, Proxgaard, Pellegrini; Basic, Patric, Taylor; Isaksen, Maldini, Noslin

Interestingly, neither team has experienced a loss after scoring the first goal this season, nor has either secured a Serie A victory after conceding first.

Thus, a single goal could determine the outcome of a closely contested match at Zini, with a distracted Lazio narrowly edging out a tense Cremonese.