Italian Serie A
2017-05-13 - Fiorentina vs Lazio
A Sports Betting Pick by Auls
Football: Italian Serie A
Saturday 13th May 2017 - Kick Off 5pm
Fiorentina
All is not lost for Fiorentina in their bid to reach the Europa League again, but they have to start winning games to do that. With Juventus and Lazio competing in the Coppa Italia Final, 6th place in the Italian Serie A table will be good enough for a place in the Europa League and Fiorentina are still in touch to finish in that spot.
They come into the weekend in 8th place in the League table, but Fiorentina are only 3 points behind Milan who currently hold that spot and have a difficult looking away game to come at Atalanta. The home form has been a key for Fiorentina who have a 9-7-1 record in front of their own fans in the League this season.
However recent form has not been that good for Fiorentina who come into the weekend having won 1 of their last 5 games in the League. It has been better for Fiorentina at home where they have won 3 of their last 4 games including a classic 5-4 win over Inter Milan in their last game here.
Lazio
A return to the Champions League is not going to be achieved by Lazio this season, but they will have taken some happiness away from blowing away Roma's bid to win the title a couple of weeks ago. The Europa League place has already been assured for Lazio and that means a return to European competition for the club after missing out this season.
They are 4th in the Serie A table going into this weekend games, but Lazio are 7 points behind Napoli in the final Champions League spot. Soon 4th place in Italy will also be a direct entry into the Champions League Group Stage, but that hasn't come soon enough for Lazio this season. The side have a solid 9-5-3 record away from home in the League this season.
Lazio are unbeaten in 4 games since their 0-3 home loss to Napoli which effectively is the fixture that cost them a run at the Champions League places. They have won 3 in a row, while Lazio are unbeaten in their last 7 legitimate away games (not counting the two games with Roma at their shared home) and have won 5 of those.
Head to Head
Lazio beat Fiorentina 3-1 at home earlier this season.
They have also won on 5 of their last 6 visits to Florence including 3 in a row.
Prediction
At this stage of the Italian domestic season, you begin to see some strange prices as teams do 'favours' for one another which can be returned in the future. That might not be as common practice as it once was, but it is something to consider when putting down your money on these League games.
Is that the reason Fiorentina are so short to beat Lazio this weekend? Maybe, but I also think Fiorentina play well enough at home to be favoured, albeit perhaps not as much as they are.
That concerns me, but Lazio have been in decent form and have a very good record in Florence and I am looking to back them to avoid defeat. Fiorentina are chasing a Europa League spot, but I will look for Lazio to do enough to dent those ambitions.
The Statistics :
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The Pick :
Fiorentina 2-2 Lazio
