Sturm Graz – Lazio : Preview & Prediction
An impressive 3-0 win at home to Austria Vienna on Sunday night rounded off Sturm Graz’s back-to-back league victories and they conceded no goals in any of them, a great response after suffering their worst European defeat in history after being humiliated 6-0 at the hands of Feyenoord in their most recent UEFA Europa League (UEL) clash. Perhaps that heavy defeat was an anomaly, as it was Sturm Graz’s only loss in their last eight competitive matches (G6, E1) and that performance surely breeds confidence that they can continue their positive run against Lazio.
Sturm Graz may have won just one of their last 12 UEL matches, but at least they achieved that result when they beat Midtjylland 1-0 in their most recent home clash. The home side are enjoying the comforts of the Merkur-Arena in Graz, where they have lost just once in 90 minutes this season (90 mins: G6, E1, P1), and with six wins already, perhaps fancy their chances of finishing top of Group F on the night.
Like the home side, Lazio succumbed to a nasty defeat on UEL matchday two after losing 5-1 to Midtjylland. However, Maurizio Sarri’s men responded in fine fashion, racking up back-to-back 4-0 league wins, which now means Lazio have scored exactly four goals in three of their last five matches, including their 4-2 UEL opener win over Feyenoord.
Lazio celebrated their first away win this season with a 4-0 victory over Cremonese in their most recent away fixture (E2, P1), which may be comforting given that they have lost eight of their last ten UEL matches on opposition soil (G1, E1). One positive, however, is that the only exceptions were last season, but having conceded exactly twice in seven of those ten games, it’s clear that Sarri must do something about the team’s defensive problems.
Players to watch: Mohammed Fuseini has scored twice after the 80th minute in Sturm Graz’s last two games, while Ciro Immobile has already scored five official goals for Lazio this campaign, although he has yet to score in this UEL campaign. He did, however, score in the previous two games he has played against Austrian opponents (Red Bull Salzburg in 2017/18).
Weekend stat: Five of Lazio’s last six games have seen two or more goals before half-time.
Sturm Graz – Lazio : Betting Tips
OVER 2.5 GOALS Odds: 2.25
