Lazio vs Reggina

Lazio and Reggina hook up at the Stadio Olimpico in a contest that features two sides in dire need of points given their relative positions in the Serie A league table. Lazio come into this contest off of a bad loss while Reggina have just pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season over the weekend.

Lazio lost a very tough match on the road in week 24 as they fell to last place Cagliari by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Sant’Elia. The laziali were hoping to build off of an impressive 3-0 victory over Atalanta in their prior match and the lowly Cagliari appeared to be a squad on paper that Lazio could surprise on the road. The result drew the ire of the supporters who have been protesting at the club headquarters all week. The loss leaves Lazio in 13^th place with 26 points, just behind 12^th place Torino and 1 point ahead of 14^th place Empoli. There are 4 expected absences this week against Reggina with Firmani, Zauri, Mutarelli out injured and Behrami serving a one match suspension. Manager Delio Rossi will go with his standard 4-3-1-2 featuring Mauri and Ledesma playing behind Pandev and Rocchi.

Relegation battlers’ Reggina picked up some much needed oxygen with an improbable 2-1 victory over the mighty Juventus at the Oreste Granillo. It was a huge win for Reggina given that last place Cagliari also won their match. The result leaves Reggina in 19^th place of the league table with 21 points. They are 3 ahead of last place Cagliari, but just 1 point back of both Parma and Siena meaning that another victory could see them jump out of the relegation slots. Renzo Ulivieri’s side are now in much higher spirits following the impressive win but they must maintain and build off of this momentum if they are to achieve their goal. There are 3 injury concerns this week involving Garcia, Ceravolo and Modesto, while Amoruso and Lanzaro are out suspended. Look for Cirillo to replace Lanzaro at the back while the Nigerian Makinwa looks likely to start in place of Amoruso.

While momentum will certainly be on Reggina’s side in the lead up to this game there are a number of factors working against a repeat of their Juventus result. The injured list is now longer, Lazio will not underestimate them and perhaps the most important fact- Reggina have not won a match away from home all season. Catania and Parma are the only other sides yet to win on the road. The home side Lazio should be good enough for at least a draw at home.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)