Lazio vs Atalanta Prediction: Tricky semi to add to Sarri’s misery

Having eliminated the holders Bologna on penalties in the last round, Lazio are targeting a place in the Coppa Italia final as they prepare for the first leg of their two-legged semi-final against Atalanta on Wednesday night (20:00 GMT, Premier Sports 1).

Below you can find my Lazio vs Atalanta predictions featuring team news and betting tips.

Team News

Maurizio Sarri is hoping that Toma Basic and Mario Gila will be fit to play some part on Wednesday, after the duo missed the defeat to Torino at the weekend. January arrival Daniel Maldini has been sidelined with a serious knee issue, so the number nine spot may be taken by Petar Ratkov or Tijjani Noslin - with the latter scoring in the last round. 

A rejig in the final third may be necessary given their lack of recent goals, but Pedro remains sidelined. Gustav Isaksen is a potential option to play in the front three, as Sarri looks to gain a first-leg advantage.

Atalanta boss Raffaele Palladino should have Honest Ahanor back in contention after his illness, with only Giacomo Raspadori and Charles De Ketelaere as the confirmed absentees. 

Gianluca Scamacca was withdrawn at half-time in the weekend defeat to Sassuolo and it will be interesting to see if he leads the line again here for the visitors. 

Football Odds

Lazio vs Atalanta Odds

Lazio are priced as the 11/5 underdogs to win this game in 90 minutes, meaning that Atalanta are the 23/20 favourites on the night, with a win probability of 47%. 

A draw is 12/5, over 2.5 goals is 1/1 and both teams to score is 5/6.

Under 2.5 goals @ 4/5

Noslin’s equaliser that forced penalties against Bologna feels like a lifetime ago. Since then, Lazio have played three Serie A matches without scoring, failing to find the net against tonight’s opponents Atalanta, Cagliari and Torino. 

The lack of goal threat, and general vibes around the club right now are off - and I don’t see them creating loads of chances against a strong Atalanta team. Meanwhile, the visitors know they have a home leg to come, so I don’t think they will be looking to tear Lazio apart in the capital. Instead, they will look to secure a solid away win or even a draw - and I think under 2.5 goals is a good place to start.

Atalanta to win to nil @ 12/5

Lazio’s woes have been well documented by Sarri, but he opened up further after that 2-0 defeat to Torino.

“Everyone who takes the field sees a cloudy future, and that can drain enthusiasm during a match. But if you want excuses, I can give you a hundred. The reality is we can’t have any. Today, unfortunately, we were drained. We need to examine our conscience.

That doesn’t speak of a side ready to win a cup semi-final, especially with their lack of goal threat. Meanwhile, Atalanta overhauled a 2-0 deficit in their Champions League triumph over Borussia Dortmund and only a couple of weeks ago, they travelled to Rome and beat Lazio 2-0 away from home. I can see a repeat of that here, and I fully expect Atalanta to make it to the Coppa Italia final. 

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