Lazio vs Parma – News and Probable Lineups

As the Serie A title race heats up, even a single point could see Lazio take the lead in the standings for a few hours when they host Parma in Rome on Saturday night.

After the historic Biancocelesti triumphed over Juventus last week, they can leapfrog Inter de Milão with either a draw or a win before Inter plays a day later.

Match overview

Remaining unbeaten in Italy’s top division, Lazio has shown great consistency since their defeat to Mantova in the Coppa Italia back in August, achieving a club record of 19 points from their opening seven Serie A encounters.

This capital club has indeed made an excellent start to their top-flight campaign, with Gennaro Gattuso’s squad surpassing the beginnings of two previous title-winning teams.

Last week marked Gattuso becoming the first Lazio head coach to secure six wins in the first seven Serie A matches, overpowering a struggling Juve side 3-0 in Turin.

Their only blemish thus far is a 2-2 draw against Gattuso’s former club AC Milan, where they had a two-goal advantage before faltering in the second half.

Currently, only city rivals Roma have conceded fewer league goals, while the Biancocelesti are scoring an average of two goals per match at the other end.

Surprisingly, all these achievements have occurred amid a continuing fan boycott, and Stadio Olimpico may see low attendance again this weekend.

Current form strongly suggests that Lazio are the clear favorites, and historical data is not in favor of Parma.

The Gialloblu have faced defeat in eight of their last ten league encounters in Rome, failing to win any, while they have suffered 11 losses in the last 16 matches overall.

While Lazio are performing well, Parma are struggling with just one league victory to boast – incidentally, in the match prior to the dismissal of former manager Carlos Cuesta.

New head coach Alberto Gilardino has found the start to his tenure challenging, despite being the club’s second-highest scorer in Serie A history he has struggled to make an impact in his management role.

Having previously failed at Genoa and Pisa, Gilardino has now lost his first two games since his return to Emilia-Romagna.

After an understandable 3-0 loss to reigning champions Inter, his team then fell to the same scoreline at home against Torino, placing them second from bottom with only four points accrued.

Team News

Although Albert Gudmundsson is not yet fit to return from a dislocated shoulder, Lazio will see Matteo Cancellieri back in action this week.

Adam Marusic and Nicolo Rovella are both nearing a comeback from their respective injuries, but they may be rested with three matches scheduled before the next international break.

Tijjani Noslin, competing with Andrea Pinamonti for a position in Lazio’s attack, has previously netted twice against Parma and has four goal contributions thus far in the Serie A season.

On the other hand, Parma will again be without Hans Nicolussi Caviglia and Nesta Elphege, while Swedish winger Pontus Almqvist remains a significant doubt.

After recovering from injury, Senegal centre-back Abdoulaye Ndiaye was only fit enough to be on the bench last Monday but may now be ready to start.

With Elphege out, young forward Simone Lontani could reclaim a spot in the starting XI, likely at the expense of either El Bilal Toure or David Romero.

Lazio probable starting XI:

Mandas; Floriani Mussolini, Sutalo, Proxgaard, Tavares; Frattesi, Belahyane, Taylor; Isaksen, Noslin, Zaccagni

Parma probable starting XI:

Crows; Delprato, Carlos, Troilo; Britschgi, Bernabe, Keita, Fabbian, Valeri; Far away, Romero

Given Lazio’s immense confidence and the ongoing challenges for their visitors, few would foresee anything other than a straightforward victory for the home side.

Not only have Parma suffered defeats in their last five away fixtures in Serie A, but they have also gone eight matches without managing a clean sheet – both indicators create a tough outlook for their trip to the Olimpico.