Matchday 1 of the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League kicks off this week. On Thursday, Italian side Lazio welcome Dutch club Feyenoord to the Stadio Olimpico.
Lazio and Feyenoord are both favored to reach the knockout phase. Elsewhere in Group F, Danish outfit Midtjylland and Austrian team Sturm Graz will be hoping to upset the odds.
#UEL 🏆 Il programma della vigilia di #LazioFeyenoord 👇 pic.twitter.com/iP4PdEaJh3— S.S.Lazio (@OfficialSSLazio) September 6, 2022
#UEL 🏆 Il programma della vigilia di #LazioFeyenoord 👇 pic.twitter.com/iP4PdEaJh3
While Lazio fell in the Europa League knockout play-offs last season, Feyenoord reached the Europa Conference League final. However, the Dutch club were defeated by Jose Mourinho’s Roma.
It’s fair to say that Lazio have made an indifferent start to the 2022/23 Serie A season, registering two wins, two draws and one loss so far.
The Eagles kicked off their campaign with a four-game unbeaten streak. However, they suffered a 2-1 defeat to Napoli last time out.
Three of Lazio’s five Serie A games have produced over 2.5 goals this season, while only one game has dished up under 1.5 goals.
As expected, Ciro Immobile has been the star of the show this season – bagging two goals and one assist across his first five appearances.
On the flip side, Feyenoord have made a flying start to the Eredivisie season – securing four wins and one draw in their opening five games.
After thrashing Vitesse (2-5) on the opening weekend, they drew with Heerenveen (0-0) before beating Waalwijk (0-1), Emmen (4-0) and Go Ahead Eagles (3-4).
Feyenoord have scored over 3.5 goals in three of their five league outings this season, underlining their strength in attack.
With Danilo (5 goals, 0 assists) and Sebastian Szymanski (2 goals, 3 assists) starting the season in eye-catching form, Feyenoord will be confident of getting something from Thursday’s clash.
Head-to-head: Lazio and Feyenoord last met during the 1999/2000 Champions League campaign, with the Dutch side remaining unbeaten against the Italians that season.
Feyenoord claimed a 2-1 victory in Italy before the two sides played out a goalless draw in the Netherlands.
Team news: Lazio have no injury concerns at the moment, meaning head coach Maurizio Sarri has a full-strength squad at his disposal.
As for Feyenoord, they will be without the injured duo of Mats Wieffer and Marcos Lopez for Thursday’s curtain raiser.
Given that Lazio and Feyenoord are expected to advance from Group F, both sides will be eager to avoid defeat on Thursday.
With that in mind, Forebet predicts that Lazio and Feyenoord will dish up a low-scoring draw – with both teams netting under 1.5 goals.