Giampiero Ventura warned Lazio are “a difficult side to take on” and wants Torino to be footloose and fancy-free.

It kicks off at 11.30 GMT, click here for a match preview.

“Lazio are a difficult side to take on, as when in good shape they play with great intensity and will try to pin us back,” said the Granata Coach in a Press conference.

Giampiero Ventura warned Lazio are “a difficult side to take on” and wants Torino to be footloose and fancy-free.

It kicks off at 11.30 GMT, click here for a match preview.

“Lazio are a difficult side to take on, as when in good shape they play with great intensity and will try to pin us back,” said the Granata Coach in a Press conference.

“This will be an important test for us. I want to rediscover a team that plays with a clear head and the sheer pleasure of enjoying its football. I saw that in fits and starts against Milan.

“This campaign is difficult to describe, because we’ve never had such huge leaps of form within the same season. I always said that if we play with the right approach, sharpness and joy, we can fight it out with anyone.

“Of course, if we approach it the way we did against Udinese, we can quite easily lose against any opponent too.

“Our philosophy is to look at the performance more than the result and we need to build on that. We had some difficulties this season that the younger players are not accustomed to, but it helped fortify them for the future. It was like an accelerated learning course.

“Once the youngsters have matured, we will have a young, competitive and solid core to the team. There are players here who have given so much to Toro, but with each year they get a little older and slower.”

Ciro Immobile has been revitalised since returning to Torino after poor spells at Borussia Dortmund and Sevilla.

“The situation has changed in two years,” continued Ventura. “He struggled with the change of tactics elsewhere, but he’s so eager to prove himself and can play an important part in this team.”

It was snowing in Turin on Saturday, so the Granata only had a limited training session, but the weather did cause some problems.

Pontus Jansson came down with flu and was replaced in the squad by Cesare Bovo, who has fully recovered now from meniscus surgery.

Alessandro Gazzi and Danilo Avelar are also out injured.

Torino squad for Lazio: Castellazzi, Ichazo, Padelli; Glik, Jansson, Maksimovic, Molinaro, Moretti, Peres, Silva, Zappacosta; Acquah, Baselli, Benassi, Farnerud, Obi, Vives; Belotti, Immobile, Maxi Lopez, Martinez

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