An injury-time penalty helped Lazio beat AC Milan 2-1 in their last Serie A match, halting a run of back-to-back draws in the league and putting them within two points of the top-four. The Biancocelesti backed up that win with a 2-1 victory on Thursday over Viktoria Plzeň in the UEFA Europa League despite finishing the game with nine men, a result which means that they have just lost once in their last seven matches (W4, D2, L1).
Lazio have only won two of their last seven home matches in all competitions (D3, L2), with struggles at the Stadio Olimpico triggered by a thumping 6-0 defeat to Inter Milan here in mid-December. A quick start here could help them on their way, as Marco Baroni’s men have opened the scoring in 17 Serie A games this season – only Juventus and Inter have done so more often.
Juventus is the only team that has accumulated more points in the previous five games (15) than Udinese (13) before this round. Udinese has emerged victorious in four out of their last five matches since the beginning of February. The Little Zebras have managed to maintain a clean sheet in three consecutive league games, a feat not achieved since February 2021 – the last time they achieved this was in May 2012!
Udinese goes into this match with confidence after securing three wins in their last six Serie A away games (D2, L1). They are on a four-game unbeaten streak in away head-to-head encounters (W2, D2). Their 2-1 triumph in the previous season was followed by another victory with the same scoreline in the reverse fixture this term. This success has enabled Udinese to secure three consecutive wins against Lazio in top-flight meetings, a milestone not reached since October 2005.
Key Players to Keep an Eye On: Boulaye Dia has netted five out of his seven league goals in the current season on home turf, managing to open the scoring on three occasions. Florian Thauvin successfully converted a crucial penalty in the recent match against Parma. Notably, he has been directly involved in creating three goals against only two Serie A teams – Lazio being the other (G1, A2).
Impressive Performance Streak: Lazio’s previous six fixtures at home have witnessed goals from both teams.
