Last season, Lazio impressed and shocked some by finishing third in Serie A, earning themselves a spot in the Champions League as a result. However, they failed to make it through their play-off games against Bayer Leverkusen but redeemed themselves in Europe's second tier competition and currently are en route to continuing their journey after securing their spot in the round of 32.
However, their domestic form is a whole other matter all together and their poor form does not show any signs of abating. Meanwhile, their upcoming opponents Juventus, who are now into the round 16 in the Champions League appear to have turned a corner in the league and are on the up-and-up as they hope to recover from a poor start to their title defense this campaign.
Lazio
Not only are Lazio in the midst of a downward slump, with four losses in their last five games, the Biancocelesti do not have a good record against Juventus. The last time they actually defeated the Bianconeri was during a 2-1 Coppa Italia victory on January 29, 2013. However, in the league, their prospects do not look good for an upset - the last Serie A win was nearly exactly 12 years ago on December 6, 2003. This means, with the exclusion of their success in Coppa Italia ties, Lazio have been winless against Juve in their past 21 meetings.
Not a good reading for Stefano Pioli’s men, who have lost to Atalanta, AC Milan, Roma, and Empoli and were only able to secure a point against Palermo. In fact, their last Serie A win was back on October 25th when they powered past Torino 3-0. Unfortunately for Lazio, their problems extend to all problems of the pitch. In attack, Alessandro Matri, Miroslav Klose, Keita Baldé Diao, and Filip Djordjevic have been highly disappointing, with a total of five league goals between them, and all in all, including Ricardo Kishna, Lazio's strikers have contributed seven goals. In midfield, both Antonio Candreva and Felipe Anderson have been poor and unfortunately in defense Stefan de Vrij will be out for the rest of the season.
Whilst they have received a slight boost as Santiago Gentiletti will be able to feature after serving his ban, Pioli not only will be without De Vrij but also other options like Senad Lulic and Ogenyi Onazi due to injury.
Juventus
Meanwhile, if Lazio appear to be in a downward spiral, Juventus have now won four straight games and have been inching their way back up the league table. It is almost shocking to think that Massimiliano Allegri's men at one point were floating just above the relegation zone earlier this season, but after a difficult start, things seem to have finally gotten better for La Vecchia Signora. They will be coming into this game after a successful past week that saw them secure their place in the Champions League round of 16 after defeating Manchester City, and followed that up with a resounding 3-0 defeat of Palermo on the road in last weekend's fixture.
Impressively, including the win against City, Juventus have won their past five straight games across all competitions and have managed to keep a clean sheet in three out of those matches. Still, they have quite a lot of work to do if they want to further close the gap on the top three before heading into the Christmas break and given Lazio's struggles, this will represent an excellent chance for them to add another three points to put some serious pressure on Roma, who are currently in fourth.
Friday's meeting will be the first since the two sides clashed in the 2015 Supercoppa Italiana which ended as a 2-0 win for the visitors. Allegri, however, will be without key midfielder Paul Pogba due to suspension, and Hernanes, Roberto Pereyra, and Sami Khedira are all still working their way back from injury. However, Kwadwo Asamoah will finally be able to make his long-awaited return after struggling with his own injury woes.
Will Juve make it five wins in five? Or will Lazio finally snap out of their funk on Friday evening?
Which channel is broadcasting Lazio vs Juventus on TV or Online?
If you are in Rome, perhaps you might be heading to the Stadio Olimpico to see the Aquile take on La Vecchia Signora. However, if you enjoy calcio and reside elsewhere, LiveSoccerTV.com has plenty of options for you to catch Friday's match via TV, phone, computer, or tablet for people living in the following countries:
- In the USA at 14.45 EST on: beIN Sports en Español, RAI International, beIN SPORTS CONNECT U.S.A., fuboTV
- In Italy at 20.45 CET on: SKY Go Italia, Lazio Style Channel, Sky Sport 1 HD Italia, Sky Calcio 1, Sky Supercalcio HD
- In the UK at 19.45 GMT on: BT Sport Europe, BT Sport Live Streaming
- In Canada at 14.45 ET on: RAI International, beIN Sports en Español
If you live elsewhere, no problem. Simply check out our special Lazio vs Juventus broadcast page for viewing times and options for wherever you call home.
*Note: Live broadcast data is subject to change*
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
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