Lazio vs Inter among key Serie A battles this weekend

WINDHOEK, OCT 25 – The meeting of Lazio and Internazionale in a top-four battle is set to be the key fixture of this coming weekend’s Serie A action, while the Napoli v Roma match from Stadio San Paolo will also be a tasty battle.

The Lazio v Inter game will take place at Stadio Olimpico on Monday 29 October and wrap up the 10th round of action in the 2018/19 season. The Biancocelesti are in good form under manager Simone Inzaghi, winning six of their last seven league matches to rise up the table to fourth place and establish themselves as top-four contenders.

Inter are also in outstanding form, winning seven matches on the bounce (across all competitions) prior to their midweek meeting with Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League. Manager Luciano Spaletti would have been particularly pleased with the Nerazzurri’s 1-0 triumph in the Milan derby last weekend.

The clash also sees a meeting of two of the best strikers in Italian football: Lazio’s Ciro Immobile has six Serie A goals so far in 2018/19 (only Genoa’s Krzysztof Piatek has more), while Inter’s Mauro Icardi showed his potency with the decisive strike against AC Milan.

Inter Milan’s forward Mauro Icardi (R) celebrates next to AC Milan’s midfielder Tiemoue Bakayoko after scoring the winning goal during the Italian Serie A soccer match between Inter Milan and AC Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, Italy, 21 October 2018. EPA/DANIEL DAL ZENNARO

The Nerazzurri will also hope African stars Kwadwo Asamoah and Keita Balde can continue their strong contributions, while Lazio can call on Angolan defender Bastos.

The round’s action opens on Saturday with Gervinho’s Parma away to Atalanta, before lowly Empoli look to avoid a back-lash against champions and league leaders Juventus, whose manager Massimiliano Allegri was angered by their 1-1 draw with Genoa last weekend, and an evening clash which pits Ola Aina’s Torino against Fiorentina.

The big game on Sunday is undoubtedly Napoli v Roma. The Partenopei Gli Azzurri have won five of their last six Serie A matches to rise into second place on the table, just four points off the pace of Juve, while the Giallorossi are entirely unpredictable: their last seven matches across all competitions have produced four wins and three defeats.

Eusebio Di Francesco’s side have the firepower to take down Napoli, but may find Carlo Ancelotti’s team too well organised and efficient in attack.

Sunday also features AC Milan looking to bounce back from their heart-breaking derby defeat when they host a Sampdoria team which has claimed back-to-back Serie A victories and can call on the evergreen striker Fabio Quagliarella. The Rossoneri will hope Franck Kessie can spark them back into winning form as they attempt to rise from 12th place on the log and challenge for a place in Europe next season.

Key matches stats

Lazio v Internazionale – Head-to-Head, all competitions
Matches played 57
Lazio wins 19
Inter wins 18
Draws 20

Napoli v Roma – Head-to-Head, all competitions
Matches played 38
Napoli wins 10
Roma wins 19
Draws 9

Milan v Sampdoria – Head-to-Head, all competitions
Matches played 43
Milan wins 24
Samp wins 11
Draws 8

Serie A fixtures, 27-29 October 2018
All times CAT

Saturday 27 October
15:00: Atalanta v Parma – LIVE on SS8, Max2 & SelGO5
18:00: Empoli v Juventus – LIVE on SS8, Max2 & SelGO5
20:30: Torino v Fiorentina – LIVE on SS8, Max360 & SelGO5

Sunday 28 October
13:30: Sassuolo v Bologna – LIVE on SS8, Max2 & SelGO5
16:00: Cagliari v Chievo – LIVE on SS1
16:00: Genoa v Udinese – LIVE on SS8 & SelGO5
19:00: Milan v Sampdoria – LIVE on SS8, Max360 & SelGO5
21:30: Napoli v Roma – LIVE on SS8 & SelGO5

Monday 29 October
21:30: Lazio v Internazionale – LIVE on SS8, Max2 & SelGO5 – Contributed