Lazio kick off their Coppa Italia campaign with a tough Round of 16 clash against Thiago Motta’s Bologna.
The match between the Biancocelesti and the Rossoblu kicks off at 17.00 UK time at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Lazio had a tough start to the year, dropping points from winning positions against both Lecce and Empoli, but bounced back in their third outing of 2023, picking up a tiring 2-0 win away to Sassuolo. They’ll be hoping to build up some momentum as they look to stay involved in the fight for a top four finish.
Maurizio Sarri cannot count on talismanic forward Ciro Immobile or defender Mario Gila, both of whom are out injured.
Bologna’s 2023 started with losses to Roma and Atalanta but they found their footing away to Udinese, picking up a tight 2-1 win. The result leaves the Rossoblu comfortably in the mid-table, 13 points clear of relegation candidates Hellas Verona.
Thiago Motta has to contend with a number of injuries heading into the match with Lazio. Kevin Bonifazi, Lorenzo De Silvestri, Nicola Sansone, Marko Arnautovic and Nicola Bagnolini are all unavailable.
Probable line-ups for Lazio vs Bologna:
Lazio (4-3-3): Maximiano; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli, Hysaj; Vecino, Marcos Antonio, Basic; Cancellieri, Felipe Anderson, Zaccagni.
Bologna (4-3-2-1): Skorupski; Posch, Soumaoro, Sosa, Cambiaso; Moro, Schouten; Orsolini, Soriano, Aebischer; Barrow.