Can Lazio pip Juve and Inter at the Serie A title post?

Lazio

It is no longer a two-horse race in Italy as Lazio are showing no signs of falling away as the race for the Scudetto starts to hot up.

Juve and Inter have been battling out since day one but now Lazio have come up on the rails and have given the top two something to think about as we head towards the business end of the season.

The Rome-based outfit were tipped to be potential top-four candidates at the start of the season, but a place in the Champions League looks to be the very least they will end up with as they continue to chalk up the wins.

Their latest came at Parma on Sunday as they left with a 1-0 victory and all three points, to stretch their unbeaten run to 18 matches, the best sequence since a certain Sven-Goran Eriksson was in charge of the club, so it easy to see why the Lazio faithful are getting excited.

They were held to a 0-0 draw by Hellas Verona in midweek, but that now looks like a point gained rather than two dropped as Hellas went on to beat Juventus at the weekend.

The weekend could have got even better had it not been for Inter’s fightback to beat AC Milan 4-2, but it is still very tight and Lazio are completely in the mix.

There is even the possibility of them sitting top of Serie A by the end of this week. They sit just a point behind Inter and Juve but play the former at home this weekend.

Three points against Antonio Conte’s men and dropped points for Juventus, could see them jump up into top spot.

Much of Lazio’s success is down to the fact they have one of the hottest strikers in Serie A in the shape of Ciro Immobile, who has fired home 27 goals this season.

Keeping him fit is clearly key to Lazio’s chances of going all the way, but there are goals elsewhere in the team too, with Felipe Caicedo grabbing eight, while Joaquin Correa has seven.

They have outscored Inter and Juve with 53 goals this season and have conceded just 20, so Lazio are without doubt the complete package so far.

Lazio could benefit from the fact that both Inter and Juve are still in three competitions and fatigue could start to kick in for them towards the end of the campaign.

This could open the door for Lazio, whose main worry will surround keeping everyone fit. Squad depth could be an issue and an injury to a key player could derail the title charge.

But as things stand, Lazio are very much a serious Scudetto contender and Juve and Inter may be more than a little concerned.

Simone Inzaghi

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