The top two teams in Italy will meet in Turin this weekend as league leaders Juventus take on in-form Lazio.
With a 12-point lead at the top of Serie A the Bianconeri are unlikely to be caught, but a win for the visitors would help them to further strengthen their grip on a Champions League place.
Juventus
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There are just eight games left to play in Serie A this season and for a long time Juventus have been in cruise control on their way to a fourth successive title.
However, their 20-game unbeaten run in the league came to an end last weekend, as they fell to a shock 1-0 defeat at bottom-of-the-league Parma.
Massimiliano Allegri did rest a number of key players for that match in preparation for the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final with Monaco and with big names like Gianluigi Buffon, Andrea Pirlo and Carlos Tevez back, they secured a 1-0 victory.
The second leg of that tie will take place at the Stade Louis II next Wednesday, but against Lazio there will be no players left out as they face the only team with a slim chance of catching them at the top.
It would take a disastrous collapse for them to lose their commanding lead, but a second straight league defeat would certainly offer hope to Lazio and even third-placed Roma that the title is still up for grabs.
Recent form in Serie A: DWWWWL
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWLW
Lazio
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At the start of the season, there were some who felt that Lazio could challenge for a place in Europe, but very few would have predicted the position that they are in now.
They have been in scintillating form in recent months and an eight-game winning run has lifted them up to second place in the table.
To make things even sweeter for the club's fans, they are now above their city rivals Roma and they could be set to record their highest Serie A finish since they won the league 15 years ago.
A combination of brilliant attacking play and a number of fine defensive displays have been the key to their unbeaten streak and they have bagged 21 goals in those eight games, while conceding just twice.
The forward trio of Felipe Anderson, Antonio Candreva and Miroslav Klose have been scoring for fun and all three players found the back of the net last weekend as they romped to a 4-0 win over Empoli.
Recent form in Serie A: WWWWWW
Recent form (all competitions): WWWWWW
Team News
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Angelo Ogbonna is suspended for Juventus after picking up a booking at Parma last weekend, while long-term absentees Paul Pogba, Kwadwo Asamoah and Martin Caceres are still missing.
There are reports that Fernando Llorente will start up front, while Allegri is expected to revert to a 3-5-2 formation.
Lazio have been dealt a double injury blow, as first-team regulars Stefan de Vrij and Marco Parolo have both been ruled out.
Luis Pedro Cavanda and Diego Novaretti are banned and will also miss the trip to Turin.
However, the Biancocelesti will be able to call upon the services of Dusan Basta and Mauricio, who were suspended last weekend.
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Buffon, Lichtsteiner, Bonucci, Chiellini, Barzagli, Evra, Vidal, Pirlo, Pereyra, Tevez, Llorente
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Berisha, Basta, Cana, Mauricio, Lulic, Biglia, Cataldi, Mauri, Candreva, Anderson, Klose
Head To Head
In this season's reverse fixture, it was Juventus who claimed the points, as they cruised to a 3-0 victory at the Stadio Olimpico.
The Bianconeri have a wonderful recent record against Lazio and they have lost just once in their previous 15 meetings.
This is not the last time that these clubs will meet this season, as they will face off in the Coppa Italia final on June 7.
We say: Juventus 1-1 Lazio
Juventus may have one eye on their Champions League trip to Monaco, but they won't be taking Lazio lightly, especially after last week's upset at Parma. The visitors are on an exceptional run of form and although their winning streak may come to an end in Turin, we think that they will have enough quality to claim a point to further their European aspirations.
Alex Meyers
