Lazio will put its unbeaten home record on the line when it hosts Juventus in the Eternal City on Saturday.
The Biancocelesti have secured five wins and a draw from six matches at the Stadio Olimpico so far this season. No team in Serie A has a better home record.
However, Lazio is still the underdog against a Juventus team that has shown flashes of its potential in recent weeks.
Juventus FC vs. SS Lazio
Saturday, November 20, 2021 – 12:00 PM EST at Stadio Olimpico
Allegri Bidding to Reignite the Bianconeri’s Season
Juventus was installed as the favorite to win the Serie A title this season after bringing legendary manager Massimiliano Allegri back to the club. Allegri led the Bianconeri to five consecutive titles before leaving in 2019.
His replacement, Maurizio Sarri, also led Juventus to Serie A glory, but Sarri was fired following a string of underwhelming performances. In came, rookie manager Andrea Pirlo, who was tasked with leading the Bianconeri to its 10th straight title, but he failed.
The club immediately axed Pirlo, and it decided to bring Allegri back into the fold. Many fans expected him to instantly galvanize the squad, but it has not quite worked out like that.
Juventus took just two points from its opening four games of the season, leaving it marooned in the relegation zone. Allegri has since turned things around to an extent – Juventus has five wins, one draw, and two defeats from its last eight league games – but it remains 14 points behind joint leaders Napoli and AC Milan.
Sarri Set for Showdown With Former Employers
Sarri returned to management when he replaced Simone Inzaghi at Lazio in the summer. His team is currently fifth in the table, three points ahead of Juventus.
At home, Lazio has been terrific. In six matches at the Stadio Olimpico, it has banged in 18 goals and conceded six. However, Lazio’s away form has been poor, with just one win from six games on the road, so it is not considered a genuine title contender.
Yet Sarri will still be desperate to secure a victory over his former employers in Rome on Saturday.
Juventus Dominates Head-To-Heads
Juventus is unbeaten in its last three games against Lazio. Their most recent meeting came in Turin back in March when Juventus secured a 3-1 win courtesy of a second-half brace from Álvaro Morata.
The previous game was a 1-1 draw at the Stadio Olimpico. In the 2019/20 season, when Sarri was in charge at Juventus, his team beat Lazio 2-1 in Turin but lost 3-1 in Rome.
Juventus has five wins, one draw, and just that one defeat from its last seven games the Biancocelesti, which could explain why it is the favorite on Saturday.
Goals Markets Look Appealing
Yet it might make sense to avoid the outright betting and look at the goals markets instead for this game.
Both teams to score has paid off in the last five meetings between these teams. That is priced at -155 with BetMGM, which looks tempting.
You can get even more value by combining it with over 2.5 goals. FanDuel is offering -101 on both teams to score and over 2.5 goals in this match.
Lazio’s home games have seen an average of 4 goals so far this season. Juventus’ away games have averaged 3 goals. The Bianconeri have kept just one clean sheet in six away matches, so they are highly likely to concede against a team featuring Ciro Immobile, a rejuvenated Felipe Anderson, and Sergej Milinković-Savić.
Yet Lazio concedes a goal per game at home too, and it has only kept two clean sheets in 12 games this season. Juventus has found the back of the net in 11 out of 12 matches, and it is hard to see Lazio shutting it out on Saturday.
Soccer Pick: Both Teams to Score and Over 2.5 Goals (-101) at FanDuel
