Lazio vs Genoa prediction: ITALY: Serie A betting tips on match 2023-08-26 18:45.
A calamitous late collapse on the opening day saw Lazio lead at the 80th minute against Lecce, only to lose the game 2-1. A furious Maurizio Sarri admitted in the aftermath that his side cannot continue “repeating the same mistakes”, and it’s not hard to see what those mistakes are, with Lazio conceding exactly twice in four of their last six Serie A (SA) outings (W3, D1, L2).
There’s no guarantee Lazio’s defensive record will improve here, as they’ve mustered just a single clean sheet in their last 12 SA meetings against Genoa (W8, D2, L2). Sarri has had similar defensive struggles when facing Genoa, with his last shut-out in a managerial H2H coming back in March 2018, but seven-successive personal H2H victories against the Rossoblù suggests Lazio could get up and running for the season here.
Also on the end of an opening weekend defeat, Genoa travel to Rome on the back of a thumping 4-1 reverse against Fiorentina. Such a hefty defeat is sure to set alarm bells ringing for boss Alberto Gilardino after their promotion from Serie B last season, and another loss here would certainly reinforce that as it would be only the third time in 60 seasons that they have lost their first two games of a SA campaign.
They’ll certainly have to shape up better on the road than they did in their last SA campaign if they’re to avoid that feat, as they ended their ill-fated 2021/22 relegation campaign winless in 17 away league games (D8, L9). Worryingly, seven of the last eight saw them fail to score, and given no newly-promoted team has beaten Lazio in 14 attempts (D2, L12), their prospects look bleak here.
Players to watch: Lazio’s Ciro Immobile was on target on opening day, continuing an eye-catching streak of netting the game’s opener in his last eight scoring appearances. Genoa’s Albert Guðmundsson is patiently awaiting his first SA goal of the season, and patience may again be a virtue given seven of his last eight Genoa goals arrived after the break.
Hot stat: Lazio didn’t concede a single SA goal before the 15th minute at home last season.