Lazio vs Juventus

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In the opening match of a crucial double-header against Juventus, Lazio, currently positioned in the middle of the table, seek to initiate a fresh chapter under new leadership. This encounter takes place at Stadio Olimpico on Saturday, where two historical powerhouses collide.

For Lazio, losses to Juventus in both league and cup competitions in the upcoming days could effectively spell the end of their season. Meanwhile, Juventus themselves are enduring a rough patch, marking one of their poorest runs since their return to Serie A in 2007.

Following the resignation of former manager Maurizio Sarri amid a four-game losing streak, which notably included a defeat to Bayern Munich in the Champions League round of 16, Lazio found themselves in a state of disarray. Sarri cited a lack of support from his players as the reason for his departure. In his absence, Giovanni Martusciello, his assistant, took charge for a 3-2 victory over Frosinone just before the international break.

While the win over Frosinone ended their string of losses, with Taty Castellanos scoring twice against their regional rivals, Lazio's home form has been concerning. They have suffered defeats in their last three Serie A matches at Stadio Olimpico, managing to secure only half of the available points at home so far this season.

Before seeking to gain an initial advantage in the cup semi-finals, Juventus will strive to achieve a league victory over Lazio for the first time in five years, after securing a 3-1 win in September's previous encounter.

However, Max Allegri's team has struggled to secure victories in recent months, leading to a decline in their hopes for the Scudetto, as well as a sudden decrease in their goal-scoring proficiency.

Since the end of January, Juventus has only managed to collect seven points from eight matches, a record only surpassed by Serie A's bottom three teams - Salernitana, Frosinone, and Sassuolo - during the same period.

Allegri is now facing increased pressure to leave this summer, given the club's worst run in 13 years. Nonetheless, he might still believe that winning the Coppa Italia and surpassing AC Milan to claim second place in the league are still attainable goals before the end of May.

Recent draws against Atalanta BC and Genoa have caused Juventus to slip from second place in the standings. However, their recent match against Genoa at least marked their first clean sheet in several weeks.

Now, Juventus faces two crucial matches against Lazio before a home game against Fiorentina and next month's Turin derby. Hopefully, the international break has provided Allegri's struggling side with an opportunity to regroup.

Igor Tudor, a Croatian coach, has replaced Martusciello as the new manager. Tudor will be responsible for improving the team's dismal performance, so he may expect some entertainment while in Rome. In his previous stint in Serie A, only Inter, Lazio, and Napoli scored more goals than Martusciello's Hellas Verona team.

When he returns to Italy, Lazio is mired in ninth place in the standings, eight points behind fifth-place rivals Roma.

Tudor played for Juventus for nearly ten years as a player before temporarily joining Andrea Pirlo's coaching staff. It seems natural that his first game in charge is against them. The two teams then play each other in Turin for the Coppa Italia three days later.