The Laziali
·28 January 2025
The Laziali
·28 January 2025
Marco Baroni’s starting lineup against Braga will almost pick itself as Lazio head to Portugal without 12 first-team players.
The Biancocelesti have already secured direct passage to the Europa League Round of 16 after beating Real Sociedad at home last week. The Italians have been superb in the competition thus far, winning six out of their first seven fixtures, but they still have one match to contend in the group stage, and they’ll be looking to avoid defeat to ensure they finish on top of the 36-team table.
However, Lazio will have to do without ten players who will be missing for various reasons. Nicolo Rovella and his captain Mattia Zaccagni collected their third yellow cards in the tournament during their recent European outing, so they’ll both be serving one-match bans.
Moreover, Toma Basic, Elseid Hysaj and Gaetano Castrovilli weren’t registered in the Europa League group-stage squad, so they remain ineligible to play. The same goes for the club’s new signing Arijon Ibrahimovic.
Finally, four players are still struggling with injuries, including Patric who at least avoided a surgery which could have ruled him out for the rest of the season. The Spaniard could return in the coming weeks, and the same goes for Nuno Tavares, Manuel Lazzari and Matias Vecino.
Matteo Guendouzi and Boulaye Dia also missed training to avoid any risks. Although they have not suffered any serious injuries, the medical staff has decided to exclude them from this match to avoid possible physical complications. The precautions were taken to ensure full recovery and preserve their fitness in view of future commitments.
La Lazio Siamo Noi thus tips Taty Castellanos to lead the lines, supported by Loum Tchaouna, Pedro, and Tijjani Noslin, while Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Mario Gila will fill in for Rovella and Guendouzi in midfield (an emergency situation with the lack of midfielders available).
Lazio (4-2-3-1): Mandas; Marusic, Gigot, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Mario Gila, Dele-Bashiru; Tchaouna, Dia, Pedro; Noslin