With four matches remaining of this season’s Serie A campaign, Thursday evening’s hosts, 4th placed Lazio, hold a commanding 11-point cushion ahead of 5th placed Roma but mathematically the hosts still require at least a point to nail down a top four finish.
This may seem an easy enough task for Lazio and it would have been not so long ago as the hosts had previously put together an excellent 21-match unbeaten run in Serie A which had thrust them up into one of the Champions League spots, but the wheels appear to have come off in spectacular fashion in recent times.
Lazio have lost four of their last five matches in the Italian top flight following defeats against AC Milan, Lecce, Sassuolo and Juventus, while gaining just one point from the last possible 15 on offer as Lazio have limped, rather than sprinted, to the finish line.
Nevertheless, Lazio can put all of this behind them on Thursday when they entertain Cagliari as they look to return to winning ways, and having won the last three meetings on the trot against their visitors, Lazio will be looking to put this to bed.
Onto Cagliari, and the visitors occupy the mid-table security of 11th place with neither a European spot up for grabs but more importantly, no relegation battle to fight as they can play out the remaining matches in a relaxed manner.
However, Cagliari will no doubt be keen to end their barren spell of six matches without a win in Serie A which includes defeats to Atalanta and Sampdoria, but they have picked up points in draws with Bologna, Fiorentina, Lecce and Sassuolo.
The bigger picture will be a concern though for players and fans alike as Cagliari have picked up just two wins from their previous 20 matches overall, and this is not the sort of form you want to be taking to Lazio, regardless of the host’s recent problems.
Results away from home have also dipped in alarming fashion as Cagliari have registered just one win from their last 12 matches on their travels, keeping just two clean sheets and conceding 2 goals or more in seven of these 12 matches as well.
It therefore appears that Lazio may not get a better chance to redeem themselves than this upcoming clash on Thursday which could see the hosts confirm a Champions League spot for next season.
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