Inter are desperate to end their winless hoodoo against Lazio at Stadio Olimpico to carry on their hundred per cent start to the 2022/23 Serie A season. Both sides head into this fixture unbeaten after two games.
Simone Inzaghi’s men ran out 3-0 winners comfortably against Spezia while Lazio were held to a goalless draw in Turin against Torino.
LAZ vs INT Match Details
Date: Friday, 26 August 2022 / Saturday, 27 August 2022
Time: 20:45 (CET) / 00:15 (IST)
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Roma
LAZ vs INT Match Preview
Lazio will be kicking themselves for not getting more than just a point in the stalemate against Torino creating more chances than their host yet failing to convert them. Four-time Capocannoniere or Serie A top-scorer winner, Ciro Immobile came close to breaking the deadlock on several occasions but stringent defense from Torino and goalkeeper Vanja Milinkovic-Savic, Sergej’s younger brother, was up to the task to prevent his efforts. This was the first time Lazio failed to find the back of the net since February this year. Maurizio Sarri will be upset about the result although he will want the same appetite from the team when they beat Inter in the previous meeting at Stadio Olimpico. The 3-1 win that evening maintained their unbeaten streak in the last three meetings at this ground. The Biancocelesti are also unbeaten in the last three home games in Serie A winning two but managing only one clean sheet. They conceded six goals in that period which is a concern as like them Inter failed to score a goal last time in February 2022. Lazio’s defensive struggle was evident in the first game of the season itself. New goalkeeper Luis Maximiano’s first official game for the club lasted just 10 minutes giving away a penalty in the process for Bologna’s formidable striker Marko Arnautović to convert it. A De Silvestri own goal and Milenkovic-Savic setting up Ciro Immobile for the winner in the second half secured all three points. Sarri is counting on the pair to remain a strong point in their attack as both carry impressive individual records against Inter in recent ties. The streak simply cannot end here is the message in the dressing room. Moving on from the manager they will face this weekend in Simeone Inzaghi, Lazio finished fifth under Maurizio Sarri last season getting the chance to play Europa League football and the aim will surely be high this time. In that case, the Biancocelesti have to prove their worth in games like this and their transfer business in the summer could go on to define their season if the signings hit the right target.
Simeone Inzaghi’s Inter had a mixed performance in the opening two games of the season like their counterpart in the weekend although collecting three points did not become an issue at the end. The visit to Lecce in the curtain raiser turned out to be trickier than expected even after Romelu Lukaku scored his first goal on his return to the club from Chelsea inside two minutes. The host equalized right after the break leading Inter to dig deep and field all their attacking options available towards the end. At last, Denzel Dumfries came out with a late added-time winner breaking out in a wild celebration. The second game was smoother with a convincing 3-0 win over Spezia at San Siro through strikes from Lautaro Martinez, Hakan Calhanoglu and ex-Lazio forward Joaquin Correa. The joy for Inzaghi and his men is that the partnership between Martinez and Lukaku is reignited as they combined to score the first goal in the game. The Italian will have his pair to use to break the jinx for Inter in the next clash against Lazio at Stadio Olimpico, the last win in this fixture at this ground coming in 2018 where they thrashed the hosts 3-0 managed by Inzaghi at that time. Inter will try to return the favor to Inzaghi this time after failing miserably in the last show. The Nerazzurri eyes the Scudetto again with a deficient of two points to their rivals and champions AC Milan restricting their title defense in the previous season. Inter lost crucial points in big games like this which became a big factor in the title race in the past campaign so a slip off even at an early stage cannot be accepted. The boost for Inter is they are among the only three times to carry a hundred per cent record in the first two games of the new season and have won 10 of their last 11 games in the league. A win must be the priority to break the curse in this meeting and the continuation of the positive run in the next two games before the highly anticipated Milan derby next weekend.
Recent Form
LAZ: DW
INT: WW
LAZ vs INT Team News
Goalkeeper Luis Maximiano will be back in goal for this clash after being sent-off just 10 minutes into his debut for Lazio forcing, the other new goalkeeper arrival, Ivan Provedel back to the bench despite keeping a clean sheet in his last game. New midfield signing Marcos Antonio from Shakhter Donetsk came on as a substitute alongside Toma Basic against Torino past the hour mark and both have a chance to clinch a starting place in this fixture. Luis Alberto also featured late in the game as his future at the club remains a topic of discussion following interests from Sevilla in Spain. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic scored the last goal in a 3-1 victory in this meeting last year and has started the new season in fine fashion. His place in the starting eleven is undisputed even though overseas interest in him has risen. Former Inter player Mattias Vecino will be adamant to keep his place in the starting lineup for this clash after cutting ties with the Nerazzurri this summer. Lazio are looking at fallen-out star Sergio Reguilon from Tottenham to reinforce their left-back position according to reports but nothing is concrete as of yet so Adam Marusic will continue at that spot.
Simone Inzaghi will not have Henrikh Mkhitaryan fit in time to face his old foes due to a hamstring injury. Right-back Raul Bellanova is also a doubt for the game. Inzaghi has to choose between Federico Dimarco and Robin Gosens in the left-wingback role for this pivotal clash with both sharing the position in the last two games of the season. Considering Alessandro Bastoni is the preferred choice in the back-three, Dimarco could retain his spot from the 3-0 win against Spezia although the decision is yet to be made. No changes are expected to the starting lineup from the last weekend as 38-year-old Samir Handanovic will make his 442nd appearance in goal for Inter with Andre Onana still waiting for his official debut since joining on a free transfer from Ajax.
LAZ vs INT Predicted Lineups
LAZ: Ivan Provodel; Manuel Lazzarri, Alessio Romagnoli, Patric, Adam Marusic; Mattias Vecino, Danilo Cataldi, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic; Pedro, Ciro Immobile, Mattia Zaccagni
INT: Samir Handanovic; Milan Skriniar, De Vrij, Alessandro Bastoni; Denzel Dumfries, Hakan Calhanoglu, Marcelo Brozovic, Nicolo Barella, Federico Dimarco; Lautaro Martinez, Romelu Lukaku
LAZ vs INT Head to Head
Now a Tottenham player, Ivan Perisic converted a first-half penalty to give Inter the lead at this venue last year before Ciro Immobile also converted a spot-kick in the second half for Lazio to spark a comeback. Felipe Anderson finished off a lethal counter to give the home side the lead after Immobile’s initial strike was saved by Handanovic in the 81st minute and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic added cherry on top of the cake by getting his name on the scoresheet to make it 3-1.
LAZ vs INT Dream11 Team Prediction
GK: Handanovic
DEF: Skriniar, Patric, Bastoni, Dimarco
MID: Milinkovic-Savic, Calhanoglu, Vecino
FW: Martinez, Immobile, Lukaku
Captain: Lautaro Martinez (33.12%)
Vice-captain: Ciro Immobile (20.78%)
Samir Handanovic has a positive start to the campaign keeping a clean sheet in two games and maintaining a league-best 95.5% pass success rate among goalkeepers
Milan Skriniar has played second most accurate passes per 90 among center backs in Serie A with a passing accuracy of 93%
Patric has played the third most accurate long balls per 90 alongside making 4 clearances in two games
Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has scored 5 goals in his last seven games against Inter. Incredibly, the previous meeting in January of this year was the last time he failed to score after doing in four prior clashes facing the Nerazzurri.
Hakan Calhanoglu grabbed the second goal for Inter in the 3-0 win over Spezia and he has now contributed to 6 goals in his last eight games for Inter
Lautaro Martinez finished with 21 goals last season and has carried the form into the new one with a goal and an assist in two matches so far. The Argentinian has 2 goals and 3 assists seven times he played in this fixture.
Romelu Lukaku has started his second spell at Inter with a goal and an assist. In the last five games of his previous spell, he managed 3 goals and 2 assists.
Ciro Immobile has two goals in the last two meetings with Inter and finished last season with 6 goals in five games.
