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Serie A Week 35 - 27/4/08 (14.00 UK)

Juventus - Lazio
Stadio Olimpico

Roma’s stumble means second place is within reach for Juventus and they hope to take advantage of a dismal spell for a Lazio side decimated by bans.

Claudio Ranieri’s men are on a roll and now just five points behind the Giallorossi with four games to play. It would be quite a feat to catch them in that time, but with the Scudetto out of Roma’s grasp and Francesco Totti out for the next four months, a late collapse is not out of the question. Second would send Juve straight into the Champions League without having to go through the preliminary round and guarantee more cash for the summer transfer kitty.

Lazio were in that competition last season, but a year on are struggling just to stay mid-table. The morale-boosting 3-2 result against Roma on March 19 was their last win, followed by three draws and two defeats to Fiorentina and Catania. Last week’s loss in Sicily was particularly damaging, as it cost Ousmane Dabo a two-match ban, plus suspensions for Luciano Zauri and Cristian Ledesma. Valon Behrami is an injury doubt with a continuing thigh problem and Rolando Bianchi still not 100 per cent fit, so we should see Gaby Mudingayi, Roberto Baronio and Aleksandr Kolarov in the starting XI.

Juventus are missing Vincenzo Iaquinta, Alessandro Birindelli and long-term absentee Jorge Andrade, but can count on Momo Sissoko and Giorgio Chiellini again after their lay-off in the 4-0 demolition of Atalanta. That trip to Bergamo not only cemented Alessandro Del Piero’s candidacy for a Euro 2008 spot, it also put him within two goals of Capocannoniere Marco Borriello. Between the two is his Juve teammate David Trezeguet, so two of the top three scorers in Serie A this season wear the Bianconeri jersey.

This is a special game for former Lazio men Pavel Nedved and Guglielmo Stendardo. The defender only left Rome in January following a blazing row with Coach Delio Rossi, although this week he tended a hand to the tactician and said he is open to a return.

Lazio’s overall record in Turin is very poor with just eight wins and 16 draws in 63 Serie A visits. That includes four different 6-1 losses, the latest in 1994, but times have changed recently and their last meeting in April 2006 ended in a 1-1 draw. The Biancocelesti also conquered Juve 2-1 in December 2002 with Stefano Fiore’s brace.

Keep an eye on: Alessandro Del Piero (Juventus) – What more can be said of Alex? He is the form player in the entire League at the moment and his hat-trick against Atalanta only confirmed what we already knew.

Last season: Not played

Form guide: Juventus (W L W W W) Lazio (L D D D L)

Juventus (probable): Buffon; Zebina, Legrottaglie, Chiellini, Molinaro; Camoranesi, Sissoko, Zanetti, Nedved; Trezeguet, Del Piero

Lazio (probable): Ballotta; De Silvestri, Siviglia, Cribari, Kolarov; Mudingayi, Baronio, Mutarelli; Mauri; Pandev, Rocchi

Ref: To follow...

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