Atl. Madrid vs Lazio prediction: EUROPE: Champions League – Group Stage betting tips on match 2023-12-12 20:00.
With matters of qualification already settled in UEFA Champions League (UCL) Group E, all that remains to be settled on the final matchday is who will finish top between Atlético Madrid and Lazio. Now in their 11th straight UCL campaign, just a draw will be enough for Atlético to top their section for the first time since 2016/17 and they will hope to do exactly that having avoided defeat in the last four H2H clashes (W2, D2).
Atleti manager Diego Simeone will hope his side can justify their status as favourites for the match by defeating one of the clubs he represented as a player, yet just three wins from their last 13 UCL home games (W3, D7, L3) suggests that wonât be a given. There has at least been an upturn at the end of that sequence with back-to-back home wins coming into this, including their biggest-ever victory in the modern UCL, a 6-0 trouncing of Scottish champions Celtic.
Lazio laboured to a 1-1 draw at Verona in domestic action over the weekend, a result which left them marooned in Serie A mid-table. The club from the capital donât have quite the same level of European pedigree as their hosts with this only their second UCL group stage across the last 16 years, yet despite that, the away sideâs defeat to Feyenoord is their only UCL loss across their last 11 group stage outings (W5, D5, L1).
A rather dire away record against Spanish opponents (W1, L8) suggests that they may be in for another continental loss, as does the fact theyâve lost five of their last eight competitive away games (W2, D1, L5). However, visiting manager Maurizio Sarri has a solid record against AtlĂ©tico, never losing across his three career H2Hs to date (W1, D2).
Key battle: AtlĂ©tico Madridâs UCL top scorer Ălvaro Morata (G5), remains unbeaten after nine personal H2Hs against Lazio (W6, D3), contributing to six goals in the process (G3, A3). Trying to keep him out will be Lazio keeper Ivan Provedel, who has made 16 saves in the group stage so far but more memorably became only the fourth goalkeeper to score in the UCL with his last-gasp headed equaliser in the reverse.
Hot streak: Lazio have found the net in each of their last 13 UCL games (W5, D5, L3).