Fiorentina vs Lazio: Preview and Prediction

Fiorentina vs Lazio
2016/17 Italian Serie A.
Date: Saturday, 13 May 2017
Kick-Off: 17:00 UK,
Venue: Stadio Artemio Franchi (Florence).

A struggling Fiorentina will face a tough test as they welcome Lazio to the Stadio Artemio Franchi on Saturday evening.

The Viola have won just one out of their last five games. Paulo Sousa’s side sit nine points behind Atalanta, who occupies fifth spot with just three games to go. They have effectively ruled themselves out of contention for Europa League football, which is the latest blow in what has been overall a very frustrating and disappointing campaign for Fiorentina.

Despite their struggles, they’ve only lost once at the Stadio Artemio Franchi – albeit that was a shock reversal to Empoli – and naturally will aspire to maintain that strong home record on Saturday. However, their upcoming opponents have been in excellent form – both as of late and generally throughout the entire season.

Lazio come into this game on a three-game winning streak, including a resounding victory over Roma a couple rounds back. Simone Inzaghi has truly revitalized the Aquile, who are a definite lock to make a return to the Europa League for next campaign.

Next up for Lazio is the Coppa Italia final, which will take place on May 17th. This represents the only chance the Biancocelesti have at clinching any silverware, which will be the capstone on what has been an excellent season for the capital club. With that in mind, Inzaghi will have to decide how to manage his squad.

Should they try to make a very late push to catch Roma and Napoli – especially with the Giallorossi facing Juventus? Or should they reserve their resources in order to try to take down La Vecchia Signora in the Coppa Italia? That’s a choice Inzaghi will definitely be pondering over ahead of this match.

Fiorentina vs Lazio: Head-to-head statistics

• Fiorentina have a record of W7-D7-L6 in their last 20 home games against teams ranked above them in the table.
• Lazio have a record of W10-D8-L2 in their last 20 away games against teams ranked below them in the table.
• Lazio have won five of the last six Serie A away matches against Fiorentina (only one lost at Franchi in this period, 2-0 in October 2012.
• Fiorentina have won only one of the last seven Serie A games against Lazio (D1, L5).
• The Biancocelesti have scored 14 goals against Fiorentina in Serie A since 2014/15, more than any other team in the league in this period.
• Fiorentina are undefeated in 17 of their last 18 home matches.
• Lazio have scored at least 2 goals in their last 5 matches against Fiorentina in all competitions.
• The Gigliati have conceded at least 2 goals in their last 5 matches.
• Lazio have scored at least 3 goals in their last 3 matches.

Fiorentina vs Lazio: Prediction

Fiorentina have scored in 13 straight home matches in the league, while their last match here was a 5-4 win over Inter Milan. Given that Lazio hit seven on their own last Sunday, this could be a very high scoring affair. The visitors come here having scored at least twice in eight of their last nine away matches, while they’ve scored 16 times in their last three in Serie A.