Fiorentina take on the visitors Lazio in the round 5 match of Italian Serie A. The match will be played on Sunday, September 22nd at Stadio Artemio Franchi (Fiorentina).
Fiorentina that has accustomed us to fighting now looks quite lackluster—so much so that we have yet to see a single win in regular time, neither in the national championship nor in the Conference League qualification (where, by the way, the "Violas" did manage to qualify). It’s logical, then, that Fiorentina currently sits in the lower part of the Serie A standings. In the last round, the team faced a struggling Atalanta in a bright match. Fiorentina twice took the lead but ended up losing 3-2. Italian media reports have already surfaced, suggesting that Palladino could be sacked if results don’t improve. Fiorentina approaches this match in optimal condition—no injuries or suspensions. Forward Kean, who joined from Juventus this summer, is performing excellently, scoring in three consecutive matches.
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Marco Baroni, appointed Lazio's head coach this summer, is known for his defensive style. However, judging by the first matches, he seems to have moved away from that approach—he clearly focuses on pressing (where the team has significantly improved) and counter-attacks (I must highlight the flanking player Tavares, loaned from Arsenal—he's been impressive). It's hard to say Lazio has shined at the start of the season: two wins, a draw, and a loss. But you can feel the work put in, and the team looks more cohesive and interesting, in my humble opinion. In the last Serie A round, the Romans managed to overcome a tough Verona at home (2-1). Incidentally, Verona is Baroni's former team, so the match had an extra edge. Castellanos is still recovering from injury for Lazio, but the key players are fit.
I wouldn’t say there’s a huge gap between the two teams right now, but the bookmakers give a slight edge to the home side. Though, in my view, Lazio looks more convincing, cohesive, and interesting, while Fiorentina still lacks the chemistry to surprise their opponents. This explains why they have no wins this season. But I agree that the outcome of this match could go either way. So my prediction focuses on the potential goal tally. I suggest this will be a high-scoring game (though the bookmakers don’t seem to share that belief). Why do I think so? Three out of the last five head-to-head matches have been high-scoring. All of Lazio’s Serie A games this season have gone over the goal line. Fiorentina has scored in 5 out of 6 official matches this season. So, it seems logical.
Prediction for the match: Over 2.5 scored goals.
