Heavyweights Juventus and Lazio go head-to-head at the Allianz Stadium in the Coppa Italia quarter-final on Thursday night in what promises to be a cracker of a game.
The Old Lady have been docked 15 points in Serie A for false accounting practises, and Juve are now are sitting in the middle of the table instead of in a Champions League position. Any feeble hopes of a revival have been dented by their poor recent form, having won just once in their last four games across all competitions.
With the club spiralling into disarray with each passing week after recent events on and off the pitch, Juve boss Max Allegri will hope the cup competition provides a much-needed distraction when they host Lazio.
Juventus are typically strong at home, but the loss to Monza demonstrates how the points deduction has affected the players' psyche. Allegri's men were unable to capitalise on a decent start and collapsed when the visitors seized an early lead.
While some of the major giants continue to sink around them, Lazio look to be capitalising. They have climbed to third place in Serie A and travel to Turin off the back of three wins and two draw from their last five matches in all competitions.
After thrashing floundering Scudetto holders Milan last week, they now seek to capitalise on a growing sense of momentum under boss Maurizio Sarri by knocking out Juve out of the Coppa Italia.Juventus vs Lazio confirmed lineups
Juventus XI (3-5-1-1): Perin; Danilo, Bremer, Alex Sandro; Cuadrado, Fagioli, Locatelli, Rabiot, Kostic; Chiesa; Vlahovic
Lazio XI (4-3-3): Maximiano; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli, Marusic; Vecino, Cataldi, Luis Alberto; Felipe Anderson, Immobile, Zaccagni
Juventus vs Lazio LIVE updates
Juventus' upcoming fixtures
Juventus will return to Serie A action next Tuesday, when they make the trip to Salerno to take on Salernitana, followed by a home league game against Fiorentina on January 12th.
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