Lazio begin their Serie A campaign with a home clash against Venezia on Sunday. The capital club should have too much quality for the newly promoted side and are expected to ease to a comfortable victory.
Lazio struggled for consistency last season and eventually finished seventh on the standings, although it was enough to secure a Europa League spot. Manager Maurizio Sarri stepped down at the end of the season, with Marco Baroni the new man in charge.
Beyond the managerial change, Lazio are also without all-time top scorer Ciro Immobile, who has ended his time at the club. Despite these changes, they looked alright in preseason and were unbeaten in six matches, claiming four wins in that run.
Venezia are returning to the Italian topflight after spending the last two years in Serie B. They are targeting survival this season and will be hoping to make a positive start on Sunday.
Preseason was decent for Venezia, who claimed four wins from six warm-up matches. However, Eusebio Di Francesco’s men have already lost their first competitive match of the season as they were beaten 3-1 by Brescia in the Coppa Italia first round last weekend.
How the bookies view it: Lazio overwhelming favourites
Lazio have been installed as overwhelming favourites among the bookies and are priced at 4/9 by Betfred to claim the win. An unlikely victory for Venezia is valued at 13/2 by Betfred, who is also offering 16/5 for a draw.
Head to head: Hosts have the advantage
Lazio have a 5-2 advantage with one draw from eight previous matches against Venezia. The capital club did the double in Venezia’s previous Serie A campaign in 2021-22, claiming a 3-1 victory in the first meeting before returning to the Stadio Olimpico for a 1-0 win.
Players to watch: Keep a close eye on Zaccagni
Mattia Zaccagni had his breakout season last term, netting a string of important goals for Lazio. The forward could be worth keeping an eye on to score anytime on Sunday at 15/8 with Betfred.
Last season’s top scorer Joel Pohjanpalo is ruled out, so Christian Gytkjaer will be the one to watch for Venezia on Sunday. The forward scored 12 goals in Serie B and could be backed to find the net at 18/5 with Betfred.
Probable line-ups
Valentin Castellanos is expected to lead the line for Lazio on Sunday, with Mattia Zaccagni providing support. Matteo Guendouzi should feature in midfield with Alessio Romagnoli holding the fort in defence.
Striker Joel Pohjanpalo is ruled out for Venezia due to injury, so Christian Gytkjaer is expected to lead the line on Sunday. Nicholas Pierini should provide support while Michael Svoboda is set to feature at the back.
Lazio: Provedel, Hysaj, Romagnoli, Patric, Nuno Tavarez, Guendouzi, Castrovilli, Vecino, Zaccagni, Isaksen, Castellanos
Venezia: Joronen, Idzes, Svoboda, Sverko, Sagrado, Duncan, Doumbia, Kofod Andersen, Zampano, Pierini, Gytkjaer
Anything else catch the eye?
Lazio will be keen to show some dominance in front of their fans over the newly promoted side. They could be backed to score in both halves at 13/10 with Betfred, who is also offering odds of 5/2 on the capital club to win both halves.
With Lazio priced at minimal odds for a straight victory, a win and both teams to score could be considered at 23/10 with Betfred.
This Serie A match between Lazio and Venezia will be played on Aug 18, 2024 and kick off at 19:45. Check below for our tipsters best Lazio vs Venezia prediction. You may also visit our dedicated betting previews section for the most up to date previews.
