Udinese-Lazio, Sarri: “We’ll see if we know how to take a step forward”

Yet another final exams, to be tackled in an extensively remodeled training course. Three days after the Europa League match with Porto, Lazio plunges back into the league to face Udinese away. The post-cup season precedents are not encouraging, which is why the match with the Friulians is a new final exam for Sarri’s team. In the six previous games played this year after a Europa League match, Lazio have won only once (against Salernitana), remedied 4 defeats (with Bologna, Verona, Naples and Sassuolo; the first three with heavy passives) and caught a draw (at home with Cagliari). Moreover, the two previous seasons with Udinese were not easy for Lazio. In the first leg of the championship at the Olimpico it ended 4-4, with the Friulians equalizing in full recovery. And then in the Italian Cup, again at the Olimpico, the Roman team won 1-0 only in extra time.

MAXIMUM ATTENTION

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Precedents that induce Sarri to ask his team for maximum concentration in view of tomorrow night’s match. “We will have to have the strength to think only of the championship without repeating the mistakes we made so far after the European matches. I would like to review the personality, determination and application that we put in place against Porto on Thursday.” In order not to leave anything to chance, Sarri decided to bring the team directly to Udine from Portugal to avoid making too many trips (the Biancocelesti trained in Oporto yesterday and then moved to Friuli in the evening). “Returning to Rome for just a few hours would have been useless, so we preferred to rest a little more. We hope that this choice will pay off.”

ABSENCES

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In any case, the coach will miss five players. Two (Leiva and Luis Alberto) are disqualified, two others injured (Acerbi and Lazzari), while Immobile is always struggling with a flu. The formation choices are therefore obligatory, with Strakosha in goal, a defensive line made up of Hysaj, Luiz Felipe, Patric and Marusic, midfield with Milinkovic, Cataldi and Basic, light trident Pedro-Anderson-Zaccagni. In addition to absences, Sarri also worries about the previous season with Udinese. “The two matches played with the Friulians tell us that it will be a very difficult match for us both physically and mentally. Let’s see if we will be able to make progress.”