Juventus vs Lazio

A place in the Coppa Italia semi-finals is on the line as Juventus and Lazio go head-to-head in a blockbuster quarter-finals fixture at the Allianz Stadium.

Unable to recover from the bombshell of a 15-point deduction, Juventus slipped to an underwhelming 2-0 home defeat to Serie A debutants Monza at the weekend, losing further ground on a coveted top four. Ironically, ‘I Bianconeri’ dispatched the same opposition 2-1 in the previous Coppa Italia round to reach the quarter-final stage for the 16th year on the spin. Last season’s beaten finalists will hope to salvage some pride by lifting a record-extending 15th Coppa Italia title following a shock Champions League group-stage exit. Worryingly, though, Massimiliano Allegri’s men have conceded 2+ goals in three of their last four competitive matches.

On the other hand, Lazio squeezed past Bologna 1-0 in the last Coppa Italia round to qualify for the quarter-finals for the 12th time in 13 seasons. Despite being held to a 1-1 home league draw to Fiorentina at the weekend, ‘I Biancocelesti’ will take the field in high spirits after stringing together five straight games without losing in all competitions (W3, D2). However, a lack of consistency on the road has seen Lazio alternate between winning (3) and losing (3) on their last six competitive travels. With five of those six fixtures witnessing the winner keep a clean sheet, scoring first could prove vital for either side. But it’s worth noting that Maurizio Sarri’s men have gone winless in their last six H2Hs against Juventus (D2, L4), including a 3-0 league defeat at this venue earlier this season.