It was a Sunday afternoon in mid-February and the Lazio Maurizio Sarri hosted Thiago Motta’s Bologna after a historic European night at the Olympic Stadium. The success against Bayern Munich thanks to Immobile’s penalty represents one of the highest points in Lazio’s history in the Champions League, yet after that victory the Biancoceleste world collapsed. The crisis that led to Sarri’s resignation was triggered by the defeat against Bologna, which came at the end of a two-faced challenge. In the first half it was almost a monologue for Lazio, led by a super Isaksen who scored a goal and stopped by a Skorupski version of Buffon on at least two occasions. Without doing anything, Bologna found themselves a huge gift from Lazio’s defense and thus obtained an unexpected draw given the progress of the first 45 minutes. In the second half, however, it was only Bologna, Lazio collapsed and Zirkzee found the goal 12 minutes from the end which then started the Biancocelesti’s crisis.
Lazio, desire for redemption: Baroni is aiming for 4-3-3
From that moment on, Lazio found four more defeats in the next five matches, including the last fatal one against Udinese at the Olimpico. Lazio have not lost at home since that defeat against the Friulians on 11 March and eight months later they want to keep their fort untouched. To do it Barons will focus on a formation similar in terms of playing system, but different from the one seen two weeks ago in Monza. The full-backs change in front of Provedel, with Lazzari who is back to his best and will start on the right and Pellegrini replacing the injured Tavares. In the centre, however, the Gila-Romagnoli pair is confirmed, their third in a row in the championship after the successes against Cagliari and Monza. Nothing new in midfield, with Rovella fresh from his national team debut in the control room and at his sides Vecino and Guendouzi, also a protagonist during the international break with France. The one who rested while remaining in Formello is Mattia Zaccagni, who with the armband will play from the first minute on the left lane, Isaksen will move on the opposite flank and in the center of the attack Baroni still focuses on Castellanos.