We will witness one more highlight fixture in the Serie A before the year ends, as Lazio and Atalanta clash on Saturday. The three points could be deciding for the ambitions of both sides.
Lazio could have been up there with Atalanta at the top but the Eagles lost twice in their last five Serie A matches. The humiliating 0-6 defeat to Inter from last week was a hard reality check that Lazio are not yet ready to be champions.
The Eagles have the weakest defence in the Top 8 and have conceded 24 goals in 17 rounds. This is what's been holding them back lately and it might cost them another game, as Atalanta are the highest-scoring team in the league.
La Dea are somehow handling the pressure and the recent defeat to Real Madrid in the CL did not have a negative impact on the players. Gasperini's men are undefeated since late September when they suffered a shocking defeat to Como.
But since then, Atalanta are on a streak of 11 Serie A wins in a row, and the Real Madrid game is their only defeat in the last 18 matches (they won 15 of those).
How the bookies view it: Surprising away advantage
Atalanta's supremacy in recent months has been convincing enough to make them favourites against Lazio on the road. The Eagles are available at 2/1 as underdogs, while Atalanta are sitting on 7/5 right now. The draw is available at 23/10.
Recent head to head: Atalanta have the upper hand
This rivalry has been very eventful in recent years, with both teams claiming the points on multiple occasions. Atalanta have five wins in the last 10 H2Hs, while Lazio won three times.
Players to watch: Lookman is the African Footballer of the Year for a Reason
Atalanta's top scorer will be absent, as Mateo Retegui picked up an injury in the previous round. So it all comes down to Ademola Lookman, the latest African Footballer of the Year, who is also 4th in the Top Scorers rankings this season. The Nigerian has scored nine goals in Serie A already.
Probable line-ups
Lazio (4-2-3-1): Provedel, Tavares, Gila, Romagnoli, Lazzari, Guendouzi, Rovella, Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni, Castellanos
Atalanta (3-4-2-1): Carnesecchi, Kossounou, Djimsiti, Kolasinac, Bellanova, Pasalic, Ederson, Zappacosta, Lookman, De Ketelaere, Ruggeri
Anything else catch the eye?
Plenty of teams tried to end Atalanta's winning run but all failed. La Dea crushed both Napoli and Milan recently, so we may see a rare case where Lazio lost at home.
Of course, everything is possible after that 0-6 defeat to Inter Milan but the Eagles have a habit of winning almost every match as hosts. For instance, it was their first defeat in the new season at home.
The safest option here is to bet on both teams to score, as we don't see how this match would not feature at least a few goals. Atalanta are the top-scoring side in the league with 42 goals in 17 games and only Inter Milan managed a clean sheet against them at the very start.
This Serie A match between Lazio and Atalanta will be played on Dec 28, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Lazio vs Atalanta prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
