Juventus are expected to face Lazio in a highly defensive 3-6-1 formation when the teams meet on Sunday, 18 October, in the seventh round of Serie A. The match is scheduled to begin at 18:45 GMT.
The proposed system is designed to congest midfield, restrict Gennaro Gattuso’s Lazio side and give Juventus control of the central areas. It would leave the hosts with a lone striker, who is likely to rely on regular runs from midfield to receive attacking support.
Juventus’ expected line-up
G. Vicario is expected to start in goal, with Pierre Kalulu, F. Gatti and Lloyd Kelly forming the back three.
The midfield six are likely to be Weston McKennie, Pape Sarr, T. Koopmeiners, A. Cambiaso, F. Conceicao and K. Alajbegovic. N. Woltemade is the projected lone forward.
The match will take place as part of the seventh Serie A fixture round, with Juventus looking to use their numerical advantage in midfield against Lazio’s more conventional set-up.
Lazio expected to keep 4-3-3
Lazio are expected to retain their familiar 4-3-3 formation under Gennaro Gattuso, a system that has helped them remain unbeaten since the beginning of the season.
The structure gives Lazio a back four, a three-man midfield intended to strengthen the centre of the pitch against Juventus’ 3-6-1, and a front three tasked with exploiting space in the wide areas and behind the defence.
C. Mandas is the predicted goalkeeper. Romano Floriani, D. Doekhi, O. Provstgaard and Nuno Tavares are expected to make up the defensive line.
Davide Frattesi, R. Belahyane and K. Taylor are listed as the likely midfield three. In attack, Gustav Isaksen, T. Noslin and M. Zaccagni are expected to form Lazio’s front line.
The fixture is one of the headline matches of the seventh round of the Italian championship, with the two sides preparing to meet in a contest between Juventus’ compact midfield plan and Lazio’s established 4-3-3.
The listed betting odds make Juventus the favourites at 1.61. A draw is priced at 3.70, while a Lazio victory is listed at 4.80 by 1xbet.