Lazio – Inter

By: cathal | December 5th, 2008

Italian giants, Inter Milan will travel to the Olimpico tomorrow to take on a Lazio side buoyed by a fantastic victory against the Nerazzurro’s archrivals, Milan.

As many of you will know, this is traditionally a tie between friends, however with so much at stake, I wouldn’t expect any favours to be dished out. Inter’s record of late has been impeccable; ours on the other hand has been patchy and we will have to up our game if we are to have any chance against the current champions. The main plus I guess is the fact we managed to turn things around in midweek and our boys will head into the game with bags of confidence. The downside is the fatigue we are inevitably suffering after firstly playing a game just two days ago and secondly, the issue of having to play at our best for 120 minutes.

Therefore I expect Rossi to do some major reshuffling of the pack. I am disregarding all predicted line ups as I am sure Brocchi, Mauri, Zarate and Radu will all feature. If Lichtsteiner and Siviglia are fit and ready to go then expect them to slot into the backline. Delio has a tough choice to make between the sharp again Pandev and the fresher Rocchi. For me, the key will be to find the balance between on-song individuals and those with the less lethargic legs. If Rossi gets it right, I am expecting a high-octane performance but should he get it wrong, I expect Inter to punish our weary legs. Hopefully Delio makes the correct decision (how many times have I said that this season?).

Inter may be running away with the Scudetto but I still don’t rate them that highly. As far as I’m concerned, they only have the two world class players; Ibrahimovic and Cambiasso. Zlatan is a powerhouse who is capable of making something out of nothing. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if he could turn water into wine for some of his goals have been truly miraculous. Cambs is one of those players whose work goes largely unnoticed. With the greatest of respect to Ledesma, he is Cristian x10 and the little dynamo is probably the best in the world at what he does. If we can nullify these dangers, I fancy our chances. As for the “special one” himself, well, he’s not a problem. Mr. Motivator he may be but Mr. Infallible he is not.

I don’t think I need to say that I’m looking forward to this one, the occasion speaks for itself. However, after undergoing a massive midweek surge in my spirits, I am in no mood to see that wiped out. I am going to enjoy this game and hopefully the result. Even the slightest of wins will be enough to shut every last critic on the planet up. Here’s hoping, eh? Forza Lazio!

PS. See the new jersey here.