Lazio – Sampdoria

By: cathal | September 13th, 2008

This is a test. Tomorrow, the Olimpico will welcome a Sampdoria side that could well give us a headache. Put the celebrations on hold for now because we have a game on our hands.

If we are serious about challenging for a UEFA Cup spot then this is a must-win game. A draw at home against Samp would not be good enough and a loss is just simply unthinkable. Don’t get me wrong, I am not underestimating the Blucerchiati at all but both clubs have aspirations of being in that second quarter of teams in Serie A and as it is a home tie for us, three points is surely a necessity. Both sides will also be full of confidence after promising starts to the campaign and it seems destined to be a close and hard-fought encounter.

I am confident that the success will continue. We have had two weeks to prepare, two weeks to sort out the remaining squad issues and two weeks to soak up the positives of the Cagliari game. Rossi has selected his squad and there are some notable exclusions. The absence of Matuzalem is an obvious blow. Francelino has been suffering with a fever this week and he will not be risked. The decision was made easier by Meghni’s return to fitness. It is almost a certainty that Mourad will slot into the three man midfield alongside Ledesma and Brocchi. Rossi experimented with this midfield in the midweek friendly and the trequartista role looks set to go to Mauri. Rossi may look to deploy Foggia in the second half, as he did at Cagliari with great success. Pandev and Zarate will start upfront. There is no place in the squad for Inzaghi or Mendicino, so it looks like we will have to rely on Makinwa should an already fatigued Goran become tired later in the game. Kolarov and Lichtsteiner look likely to pip Radu and De Silvestri to starting berths. Once again, the likes of Dabo, Rocchi, Firmani and Del Nero are unavailable for selection.

As for Sampdoria, we all know their dangerman; Antonio Cassano. The grumpy ex-Roma failure has kickstarted his footballing career in Genoa and he will be the main threat. Sampdoria have a strong midfield too with the likes of Franceschini and Palombo who will look to control the game. The defense, however, is in tatters and this is something Lazio should look to exploit. Their defensive duo of Campagnaro and Accardi are both out and this could be a major problem in Mazzarri’s favoured 3-5-2 formation. I wouldn’t be surprised if Walter came out with a surprise or two. We will have to see.

Overall, this is a game that’s there for the taking. We need to assert ourselves, control the midfield and press forward. If we do that successfully then the points are in the bag. On the other hand, if we come out and play like we did in the first 60 minutes at Cagliari then we will struggle. It basically depends on the Lazio that turns up tomorrow afternoon. Let’s keep our fingers and maybe even our toes crossed. Forza Lazio!