Simone Inzaghi is expected to stick with his 3-5-2 against Roma on Sunday, but without Keita Baldé Diao.
The Derby della Capitale has the potential to be season-defining for both sides, with the Aquile defending fourth-place and their city rivals retaining faint Scudetto hopes.
The indications from Formello are that Inzaghi will stick with the back-three which served so well in the Coppa Italia semi-final, with the Biancocelesti’s first leg win their first in the derby since 2013.
Simone Inzaghi is expected to stick with his 3-5-2 against Roma on Sunday, but without Keita Baldé Diao.
The Derby della Capitale has the potential to be season-defining for both sides, with the Aquile defending fourth-place and their city rivals retaining faint Scudetto hopes.
The indications from Formello are that Inzaghi will stick with the back-three which served so well in the Coppa Italia semi-final, with the Biancocelesti’s first leg win their first in the derby since 2013.
Marco Parolo avoided a booking in the 6-2 win over Palermo – largely thanks to having been subbed at half-time – so will be available to start in midfield alongside Lucas Biglia and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic.
However, this morning’s Il Messaggero states that the hat-trick hero from Sunday’s game is unlikely to start against the Giallorossi.
Keita Baldé Diao is in contention with Felipe Anderson to support Ciro Immobile up-front, but the newspaper expects the latter to be given the nod thanks to his greater willingness to work.
Statistics show that the Brazilian makes 3.2 tackles per game, and averages 1.6 interceptions.
By contrast, Keita manages just 0.6 tackles and 0.1 interceptions, giving some indication of why Inzaghi may be leaning toward Felipe Anderson.
Lazio sit third in Serie A in terms of distance run per match, at an average of 108.741km per game, indicating that the work rate of Inzaghi’s side is one of the reasons for their success.
Contrast that to Roma, who sit 17th by the same metric but third in terms of possession and it’s clear the Aquile’s work rate will be crucial on Sunday.
Training at Formello will be open to fans tomorrow, and the sessions will be early this week to adjust to Sunday’s kick-off at 11.30 UK time.