Serie A: Lazio vs. Inter Preview, Odds and Prediction

The derby of the Week 24 in the Italian Serie A, will be the clash between two title contenders, Lazio and Inter. These two sides are one point away. Inter is trailing Juventus at the top of the standings with 54 points, while Lazio has one fewer. No doubt, the atmosphere at Olimpico stadium will be electrifying, and 80,000 spectators will have a chance to enjoy themselves.

Preview

Lazio (+130) is the second-best attack in the league and the best defense along with Juventus. The Sky-Blues were constant throughout the entire season, which eventually earned them a chance to fight for the title. They, too, had several slips like Juve and Inter, which cost them the first place, but here Inzaghi’s crew has a chance to erase all those errors. If they defeat Inter, Lazio is seriously improving its prospects for taking the trophy. The hosts had eight straight home wins in all competitions before playing without goals against Verona two weeks ago. In six of them, Immobile, Caicedo, and the guys netted three times or more. When mentioning Immobile, the Italian striker is arguably the best striker in Europe this season.

Inter (+200) is coming into this one riding the momentum created against Millan in Derby Della Madonnina. Nerazzurri defeated the hated rivals 4-2, although trailing two goals at the halftime. Antonio Conte’s side lost against Napoli in Coppa Italia this midweek, but seemingly that didn’t ruin their morale. Right now, Inter hasn’t lost 16 straight games in Serie A, recording 10 wins and 6 draws, with the note that three of the previous four road events saw a moderate efficiency, meaning 2 or 3 scores. Just to tell you, Inter scored in every away game since the start of the campaign, and that applies to all the competitions they played.

Latest News

Senad Lulic is not playing for the hosts tonight, due to his ankle injury. All other players are ready.

On the other side, Inter’s starting goalkeeper, Samir Handanovic, is questionable due to his finger injury. Roberto Gagliardini is also uncertain.

Head to Head Games

Inter won the first leg of the season with a minimal result, 1-0. The only scorer in that one was Danilo D’Ambrosio in the 23rd minute. Inter had more of the ball possession, but on the other side, Lazio was equally, if not more dangerous. What is interesting is that Nerazzurri have three straight wins at Olimpico, and that they scored three times in each of them.

Prediction

Since we have a possible title-eliminator here, expect a bit cautious approach in the opening 45 minutes. Both Inzaghi and Conte will emphasize the protection of their goal first, and put the attack in the second plan. As time goes by, the tension will rise, because neither side would like to play a draw in this one. Simply, that is the best scenario for Juve,a worst for these teams. We expect to see at least two goals in the second half. Odds on that to happen are quite solid, and at the moment they sit at -120, which a solid offer.

Pick: Over 1.5 Second HT -120

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