SS Lazio has spent the last couple of weeks taking a tumble in the Serie A standings. There was a time when they were nipping on the heels of Juventus at the top, but now they have slid to fourth, with 69 points, four back of Juventus. Inter Milan and Atalanta have moved ahead of Lazio, sitting now in second and third, respectively. Lazio remains 12 points clear of fifth-place AS Roma, with five matches to go, so falling out of the UEFA Champions League slots for 2020-21 does not seem likely. Even so, Lazio has a challenge coming up Monday with a trip to Turin to take on the league leaders. Juventus is still a few wins away from clinching the league title, so I don’t expect them to take this lightly. Take a look at our Serie A odds and prediction on this Juventus vs Lazio. showdown.
Serie A: Juventus FC vs SS Lazio (July 20)
- When: Monday, July 20, 2020, 3:45 pm ET
- Where: Allianz Stadium, Turin
- TV: ESPN+
- Radio: None
- Live Stream: fuboTV
- Soccer Odds: Juventus 1.72 / Draw 4.25 / Lazio 5.40
Why should you bet on Lazio?
Lazio’s latest disappointing match came on Wednesday, as they headed to 16th-place Udinese and left with a scoreless draw. The match did feature a good bit of offense, at least from distance, but neither team could finish. Udinese was glad to have the point, as the draw helped them stay clear of the relegation zone, but Lazio had to be frustrated after leaving another match not having played to their potential.
Lazio possessed for 57 percent of the match but was outshot by Udinese, 15-14 (6-3 on target). The teams combined for 23 fouls and five yellow cards (three to Lazio). Lazio forced five corners, to four for Udinese. The even nature of the statistics shows how easy it was for Udinese to keep up with a Lazio team that should have been faster and better at finishing. If you like Lazio against Juventus, you see them reversing a trend that goes back several weeks now.
Why should you put your money on Juventus?
Juventus also comes in on the wake of a disappointing draw on Wednesday, as they went to Sassuolo and came out with just a single point. However, the difference was that there was all kinds of offense in this match, as the teams played to a 3-3 deadlock. Juventus jumped out to the early lead, as Danilo tallied in the fifth minute and Gonzalo Higuain scored just seven minutes later. However, Sassuolo, currently in eighth place in Serie A, exploded for three unanswered goals. Filip Duricic scored in the 29th minute, and then in the first nine minutes of the second half, Domenico Berardi and Francesco Caputo delivered the equalizer and the go-ahead goal. It looked like Sassuolo might actually complete the upset, but then Alex Sandro brought Juventus level in the 64th minute, and Sassuolo was able to hold on for the draw.
Juventus only possessed for 42 percent of the match, and Sassuolo matched them in shots (16-16) and put more on frame (10-7). The match got feisty at times, with each team committing 13 fouls and seeing four yellow cards. Juventus was able to mount more pressure on the Sassuolo side, generating nine corners, but Sassuolo gave as good as Juventus did, making it a draw that Sassuolo was glad to have — but perhaps was disappointed not to finish in 3-2 fashion. If you like Juventus here, you see them waking up a bit on defense and taking care of a Lazio side that has gotten stale on offense.
Final Score Prediction
Juventus’ draw against Sassuolo appears to have more to do with Sassuolo’s explosive energy on offense (and some flaws on Juventus’ back line) than with ongoing problems for Juventus. Lazio, on the other hand, has been struggling for weeks to find goals. I see Juventus coming home and delivering a 2-0 win.
