Monday May 20, 2013

Upcoming Match | Udinese vs Lazio

Udinese vs Lazio

Match Date:	29-04-2012
Location:	Udine
Stadium	Friuli
Referee	Bergonzi
Time	20:45 CET

Four games to go. Twelve points to play for. One Champions League spot left to compete for, and the many chances that Lazio have had to extend the gap to the chasing teams are now gone. After a miserable one point out of six against Lecce and Novara it is time to get back to the drawing board, and to take this the last chance to be one step ahead of the opponents for the final run out for the third spot.

Napoli and Inter have been invited in to the race for third, despite being as far behind as ten points only a few rounds ago. While Napoli have picked up full points against Novara and Lecce, bringing them closer to Lazio in the table, Stramaccioni has manoeuvred Inter to winning ways and with the battering of Udinese in the midweek fixture the Nerazzuri are now only three points behind the Romans. Bitter rivals Roma have been wasting the chances offered to leap frog the Biancocelesti, but despite being seventh in the standings the gap is only five points between the two capital outfits. With Napoli visiting Roma, Inter welcoming an already relegated Cesena, the clash between Udinese and Lazio tomorrow night is crucial for the outcome of the race for third.

Speaking of Udinese, Guidolin’s men have crumbled worse than Lazio during the recent weeks. While Lazio have been struggling on the road, nine losses in nine away games in 2012, Udinese seem to have lost everything of the form that kept them flying high up until the winter break. Others teams in the run for third have been far from convincing though, having left Udinese with a good chance to grab the third despite only one win in March and April. Three points separate the two teams at the moment, a cushion that might be good enough to keep the Zebrette behind Lazio in the table, but as stated above there are other teams putting pressure on the Biancocelesti.

As always this season, Lazio struggle to have a well balanced starting eleven at Reja’s disposal. Radu is out, Lulic and Klose likewise, Hernanes and Brocchi will not be returning for the rest of the season, while Candreva is suspended. Cana is awaiting some final tests to decide if he is in or out and Reja will have to try to put together whatever is left of the squad to a functioning line up. Latest reports indicate a shift of balance, a 3-5-2 with Konko and Garrido on each side of the centre five, giving Lazio a very defensive approach if needed, with the possibility to switch to a more offensive when suited. Unfortunately Rocchi is the only working option amongst the attackers, forcing Mauri to play as a shadow striker – a position far from best suited for the Monza born midfielder.

Also the Friuliani will be without important pieces on Sunday night, with Isla, Coda, Ferronetti and Agymenag-Badu out injured, and Floro Flores suspended. Di Natale has been mentioned to be fatigued and in need of a rest, but Guidolin will most likely keep his man on the pitch for this one. Pazienza, Asamoah and Pinzi have all been given some rest since the loss to Inter on Wednesday, guaranteeing that they are fit enough to feature for their team against Lazio.

Taking a look at the form of the two teams, it is no doubt a depressive read for both teams’ supporters. Udinese have only one win in the last nine games, while Lazio have not been able to grab one single point outside Rome during 2012. Both teams have one win, one draw and three losses in the last five matches and both teams are struggling to score goals at the moment, with Udinese scoring one goal per game on average at the moment, while Lazio struggle equally with only one goal more scored than Udinese in the last five matches. Lazio’s main problem has been the get Rocchi going again; the captain has not seen his name on the score sheet since February.

Udinese’s prolific striker, Di Natale, will be hoping to continue his run for the capocannoniere and add to his already 20 goals scored this season. Over the years Lazio have been a favourite for the speedy attacker, scoring ten goals against the Aquile and making it his second favourite opposition in that regard.

Lazio have not won away to Udinese since the 2006-2007 season, and the first game between the two teams this season ended in a 2-2 draw at Stadio Olimpico. Interestingly enough, three out of the four scorers in that game – Lulic and Ferronetti (own goal) for Lazio and Floro Flores for Udinese, are out, leaving Pinzi as the lone scorer from that game in for tomorrow’s game. Everyone probably remembers last year’s clash between the two, back then in the run for fourth place and a Champions League qualification, where Udinese managed to win after Lazio had missed a crucial penalty, letting Udinese eventually walk away with a 2-1 win and a fourth place finish.

Somehow both these teams are still in the run for third, and hope to be so also after the crucial game late on Sunday. Neither of the teams have been impressive on this side of the new year, the fact that none have back to back wins since before Christmas exemplifies exactly that. During the training session on Friday a crowd of supporters showed up at Formello to cheer for the Lazio players. Reja has stated everything has recently been going against the team, but Sunday is the time to change things. Marchetti has spoken to media, stating that the game on Sunday is “crucial and decisive for this season to be labelled a success or failure”. Let us hope the team is determined enough to keep the fans hoping for a few more weeks.

Possible lineups:

Udinese: Handanovic, Benatia, Danilo, Domizzi, Basta, Pinzi, Pazienza, Asamoah, Pasquale, Torje, Di Natale.

Lazio: Marchetti, Dias, Diakite, Biava, Konko, Ledesma, Matuzalem, Garrido, Gonzalez, Mauri, Rocchi.

(Khashayar Kashefi)

Standings

	Team Name	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
5	Udinese	38	18	12	8	59	45	14	66
7	Lazio	38	18	7	13	51	42	9	61

Recent Five Matches

Udinese	vs	Lazio
25 04 2012 Udinese vs Internazionale 1-3		25 04 2012 Novara vs Lazio 2-1
21 04 2012 Chievo vs Udinese 0-0		22 04 2012 Lazio vs Lecce 1-1
11 04 2012 AS Roma vs Udinese 3-1		11 04 2012 Juventus vs Lazio 2-1
07 04 2012 Udinese vs Parma 3-1		07 04 2012 Lazio vs Napoli 3-1
01 04 2012 Siena vs Udinese 1-0		31 03 2012 Parma vs Lazio 3-1

Players To Watch

Udinese / Giampiero Pinzi

Once a Lazio youth player, Giampiero has expressed the wish of returning to Rome and play for his beloved Lazio on many occasions over the years. In the first game between the two teams this season Pinzi scored the equaliser for his team, and he is a reliable player for Guidolin. At the moment Pinzi would be a blessing to have for a Lazio midfield without options, but it is for Udinese he will be fighting for third place.

Lazio / Álvaro González

The loyal Uruguayan asked for permission to leave to visit his dying grandmother after the Lecce game, a wish that was accepted by the Lazio management. Tata might not be the most technical player on the pitch, but his fighting spirit and "never give up"-attitude is what Lazio need at the moment. Him not being on the pitch against Novara was clearly seen, with less running and less devotion on the right hand side of the pitch. With him back, Reja have at least one position covered without having to think too much about it.