Overview
Lazio's season in Serie A is ending in a disappointing way. The capital team is even facing the risk of falling out of the top half of the table when Udinese and Sassuolo are closely following behind before the final round.
Missing the European Cup for the second consecutive season, along with a tense atmosphere that lasted both inside the club and in the stands, made the matches at the Olimpico a real pressure for Maurizio Sarri's team.
Lazio's last two defeats have both taken place at home. The first was the defeat to Inter Milan in the Coppa Italia final, before they continued to fall 0-2 to AS Roma in the Derby della Capitale.
In the Rome derby, Lazio conceded 2 goals from headers in each half and could hardly create a comeback. It was also the 17th match this season in Serie A that Biancocelesti could not score - the club's worst record in the 21st century.
After three consecutive defeats with a total score of 0-7, Lazio certainly cannot finish the season higher than ninth place. This will be their lowest ranking since the season 12 years ago.
More worryingly, Sarri's team even failed to defeat Pisa - the bottom team - when they were held to a 0-0 draw in the first leg at Cetilar Arena in October last year.
In the opposite direction, Pisa entered the final round before officially saying goodbye to Serie A to return to Serie B.
After more than 30 years of returning to the highest league in Italy, the representative of the Tuscany region has never really shown their ability to compete for a relegation spot. They lost all 8 of their last matches and conceded 20 goals in that streak.
The 0-3 defeat to Napoli last week still leaves Pisa with only 18 points after 37 rounds - a record that clearly reflects the gap in class compared to the rest of Serie A.
A weak attack is the biggest reason for Pisa's failed season. Since the beginning of February, they have only scored 4 goals - the worst record in the top European league in the same period.
The appointment of Oscar Hiljemark in the middle of the season also did not bring the expected effect. And before thinking about the goal of returning to Serie A in the future, Pisa clearly still has many problems to solve after a forgettable season.
Personnel situation
Lazio will continue to face a serious force crisis in the final round of the season.
Due to both Ivan Provedel and Edoardo Motta being injured, goalkeeper Alessio Furlanetto is likely to continue to be given a starting spot after his debut in the Rome derby.
Lazio's midfield also suffered a big loss when Nicolo Rovella was suspended after a red card in the defeat against AS Roma.
On the Pisa side, Mehdi Leris and Matteo Tramoni are the only two players who have both scored more than one goal and had more than one assist this season. Stefano Moreo is currently the team's best scorer with 6 goals in Serie A.
Pisa may welcome the return of Rosen Bozhinov and Felipe Loyola after suspension. However, Antonio Caracciolo will be absent due to disciplinary action after receiving enough 10 yellow cards this season.
Expected lineup:
Furlanetto, Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini, Basic, Cataldi, Dele-Bashiru, Isaksen, Dia, Pedro.
Semper, Bozhinov, Canestrelli, Calabresi, Leris, Hojolt, Aebischer, Akinsanmiro, Angori, Stojilkovic, Moreo.
The match between Lazio and Pisa takes place at 1:45 am on May 24 (Vietnam time).
