Sampdoria – Lazio
Serie A
Stadio Comunale Luigi Ferraris
20:45 CET
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So here we are, once again, at the dawn of a new season. Serie A is already underway with Genoa grabbing the three points in Udine and relegation favourites, Rioma sharing the spoils with Scudetto wannabees, Cesena. Yes, you could say there is something amiss about that sentence but there are no easy games in Serie A anymore, especially not on the opening weekend and we can certainly take nothing for granted when we tackle Sampdoria tomorrow evening.

TEAM NEWS
All signs point to an incredibly attack-minded approach from Edy Reja although I say that with caution as the 3-4-2-1 he looks set to implement could so very easily revert into a 5-2-3. Personally, I am worried. First things first, this is an away game and in away games, I would like to see Brocchi on the field with the sole task of winning the ball back off the opposition. Instead, we are likely to see Ledesma, Matuzalem, Zarate and Hernanes all working together in a confined space, all of whom are creative players who like to push forward. This is a narrow system if ever I saw one, if it gets any more compact in there, the FIGC will be introducing on-field congestion charges. I cannot for the life of me understand how it could even be considered as a feasible formation. With this philosophy, Cristiano’s tip that Floccari could find himself being the capocannoniere come the end of the season is a sturdy bet. However, it would most certainly come at a cost.

Let’s try and restore some optimism by running through the probable teamsheet. Muslera, as always, will be the safe pair of hands between the sticks. Nowadays, Radu doesn’t need to be informed that he starts and he should be joined by Dias and surely to the dismay of many, Biava. Stendardo will make the bench at best it seems. The centre of the midfield has already been discussed and flanking those boys will be the ever reliable Lichtsteiner and the never reliable (in terms of fitness and I would stress in terms of fitness) Del Nero. Floccari is preferred to Rocchi in attack. Keep one eye on that situation over the coming days; Sergio is the main man, rumour has it Tommaso has requested to play the vast majority of our games this season or he will quit the club, Maurito is linked with Tottenham who are incidentally prepared to spend in excess of 20 million euro on a new striker and Santa Cruz is inbound. In a word, problematic.

Lazio (3-4-1-2): Muslera, Radu, Dias, Biava, Del Nero, Ledesma, Matuzalem, Lichtsteiner, Zarate, Hernanes, Floccari.

THE OPPOSITION
Gigi Delneri built a team on simple values. Samp played 4-4-2, when going through the middle, they looked for the underpants (Cassano) and they would regularly spread the ball out wide and whip crosses into Pazzini. It was predictable but it was effective, it stopped them from losing any home games last season and it won them a spot in the Champions League qualifying rounds. Under Di Carlo, most pundits will tell you they will lose some of their formidability. Cristiano agrees and as it happens, so do I. That is not to say we should expect anything from the game tomorrow because frankly, we shouldn’t. However, over the course of the season, I do believe they will struggle and after a disappointing and tiring exit from Europe’s main competition, they have wounds for us to deepen. In saying that, with our formation, we look like we could also be carved open with ease.

Samp are expected to come out with a 4-3-1-2 with Guberti in a trequartista role. I am slightly surprised as I would have expected them to prepare to use width against us. They may still do but it does appear as though Mimmo is running scared to a degree and wants to counteract our creativity. That can be done when you have a player like Palombo in your team. My point earlier was that Reja thinks differently to most Italian coaches and by not having Brocchi in the team when playing against a side who has Palombo at their disposal, you are conceding defeat in particular battles before you even begin. Whether that is brave or stupid remains to be seen. What I would be keen to reiterate is that this is, give or take, the same squad that nabbed the Blucerchiati 4th place last season. You don’t suddenly become a bad team in a few months. I expect a stubborn defense, a controlled midfield and need I say any more on their forward line?

Sampdoria (4-3-1-2): Curci, Ziegler, Lucchini, Gastaldello, Zauri, Dessena, Palombo, Semiolo, Guberti, Cassano, Pazzini.

THE VERDICT
For me, this game goes one of two ways. Either the opposition come out of the blocks slow and sluggishly and we take advantage of any rustiness they possess from their midweek fixture or we find ourselves on the end of a lethal backlash to stare at a two or three goal deficit within long. That is pessimistic, yes, but it is also realistic. They will have two of the best forwards in world football looming large in the penalty area all day and if they take the initiative, it will quickly become a case of damage limitation. An early goal would settle our nerves and put us firmly in the driving seat but that is easier said than done against this defense. I cannot even begin to call this one but I can hope for the best. Forza Lazio!

Here we are at the end of what has been a disappointing and draining season and Udinese awaits at the Olimpico for the final fixture of the year. Safety has been secured and there is nothing left to play for but pride. For what its worth, 12th place in the standings is still attainable but many would rather see our young guns take to the field against the Zebrette than our experienced campaigners and in doing so, sacrifice a polished performance for a glimpse into the future. Sadly, that is unlikely to happen.

There will be changes because Kolarov, Mauri and Radu all have injuries and will not be risked. The former has most probably played his last game in our colours and the latter of that grouping could well be player of the season in waiting and will have unquestionably caught the eye of the big. Thus, if the money is snatched by Lotito in this mercato then we may be looking at tonight’s starters as indicative of our future defence.

As I mentioned earlier, Udinese are affectionately known as the zebras and they may be taking a second look at Siviglia and thinking one of their crossing has gone walkies at the Olimpico. Flanking our very own zebra at the Roman zoo will be Dias and Biava. Behind them will most probably be Berni as Muslera is set to receive a day off for his exceptional work this season. It is a smart move; I will be talking about the upcoming mercato next week but Berni is set to remain as Nando’s understudy next season and this evening presents a chance to test his credentials and increase his stock. Ledesma, Brocchi and Lichtsteiner should keep their places in midfield while Hitzlsperger comes in for Stefano and Del Nero for Aleksandar. I would like to see the services of both retained for next season as they have more than enough quality to be useful back-ups so I am excited about seeing how they do tonight. Floccari and Rocchi will combine in attack. Before I am asked, I should clarify; no Barreto on the bench. Apparently.

There are several things you may read into our selection. Aside from Nando’s absence and our injuries, this appears to be a first-string team. Therefore, how much longer will Maurito settle for warming the bench? I think we could be looking at a move elsewhere for Zarate this summer. I am hoping an appearance for Sebastiano tonight ahead of Diakite’ signifies his last game for our club rather than Mobido’s last game for our club. Also, the omission of Baronio from the matchday squad is shocking when you consider he has given us 13 years of service and is out-of-contract in the summer. I am beginning to believe he has either signed for another club or is about to pen an extension. The reaction of Siviglia to the tifosi tonight could tell us much about what lies ahead in the mercato. Also, keep an eye out to see if Firmani comes on; I suspect he could feature for the last time tonight.

All in all, there is much to sustain our interest, particularly for those who were originally intending on skipping this encounter to celebrate an Inter Scudetto (hopefully). With a full-strength Lazio at home to a full-strength Udinese, I am expecting a relaxed battle from whence we can emerge victorious. Forza Lazio!

After back-to-back league wins, our boys make the trip up north this weekend to take on a title-chasing Milan side who find their Scudetto ambitions hanging in the balance following a series of mediocre results. We are brimming with confidence right now having extended our lead over the chasing pack in the relegation zone and we can go into today’s game with absolutely no pressure as Catania, Bologna, Udinese, Atalanta, Siena and Livorno all failed to win this weekend. Hence, we have a free shot at moving another step closer to safety.

For a change, I’m going to take a quick look at Milan first as their absentees will undoubtedly give some of you renewed hope that we can lift a long-standing league curse. No Ronaldinho, no Pato, no Pirlo, no Nesta, no Beckham, no Bonera, no Mancini. That certainly helps. With Borriello and Inzaghi likely to start upfront with Seedorf in behind, you would like to think that if we have perfected the offside trap in training, we actually have one hell of a chance here. We need to avoid getting bogged down with the opposition and concentrate on ourselves.

Reja appears to be fairly happy with how things are going and we can expect a relatively unchanged side. The biggest surprise may be the inclusion of Floccari to the attack with Rocchi being preferred over Zarate who looks set to warm the bench. The five-man midfield shapes up as we have come to expect it with Kolarov on the left, Mauri, Ledesma and Brocchi across the centre and midweek hero, Lichtsteiner on the right. In defense, Radu returns to the backline ahead of Biava with Stendardo and Dias helping out. Muslera in goal. This is the team I expect in full:

Lazio (3-5-2): Muslera, Radu, Stendardo, Dias, Kolarov, Mauri, Ledesma, Brocchi, Lichtsteiner, Floccari, Rocchi.

Many feel this game is winnable and I think some may go as far as to say we start favourites. As far as I’m concerned, I expect nothing from this game, even with the casualties and suspensions of the opposition, they have more than enough quality to see us off. Nevertheless, it is an opportunity that we should be looking to take. Dare I say it, we win tonight, we are safe. Forza Lazio!