On Saturday night, Spezia hosts Lazio in Serie A, as the visitors look to further consolidate their position in the top six of the Italian top-flight table.
The home team look set to fulfil their pre-season objective of maintaining Serie A status. Thiago Motta’s team are eight points clear of the relegation zone. It seems unlikely that they will be sucked into the bottom three at this late stage of the campaign, although 18th place Salernitana do have a game in hand. A few more wins would certainly be welcome, though.
Spezia heads into this clash on the back of just two wins in their last 11 matches in the Italian top-flight, a run which includes three defeats in their last five outings in the league. A 2-1 defeat at Torino last time out also means that Spezia has suffered back-to-back league defeats.
The Champions League spots are all but gone now for the visitors, as they are ten points behind fourth-place Juventus, with just four Serie A games remaining. However, they are in the fight for the last European spot, as the team from the Italian capital is currently in sixth place in the table.
However, Maurizio Sarri’s team is only ahead of seventh-place Fiorentina courtesy of a superior head-to-head record this season. Lazio also trails their neighbours Roma by a point.
The Eagle's recent league form has been inconsistent, as they head into this game having won two, lost two and drawn one of their previous five league matches.
A positive for Lazio of late in Serie A has been their away form, as they have recorded wins in four of their last six league games on their travels.
Lazio certainly looks like they need the points more than Spezia. Forebet predicts that Lazio will record a victory in a high-scoring encounter to boost their chances of confirming European football for next season.