Will the Romans make a statement?
On Sunday, Inter Milan secured a 2-0 home win over Parma Calcio, thereby clinching the Italian championship. It was the 21st Scudetto in the club’s history and only the third title in the last 16 years. The joy in the famous fashion capital of Lombardy was correspondingly great. And the away match in the Eternal City could be a bit of a hangover, as there is absolutely nothing left at stake for the Biscione (meaning: the viper). Nevertheless, the visitors have no interest in seeing the Biancocelesti’s home win come to fruition in the Lazio vs. Inter Milan match.
After all, this match certainly sends a signal. Just four days later, the two teams will face off again—but this time in the Coppa Italia final, where Inter has a chance at the double and the Aquile (meaning: the Eagles) have what is likely their last realistic chance to qualify for a European competition. So, getting run over in the Eternal City certainly cannot be in the interest of the newly crowned champions, given the momentum needed for the cup final. However, the Laziali under Maurizio Sarri play extremely defensively and compactly, as evidenced by the mere 34 goals conceded in 35 league games. We therefore see good value in betting on under 2.5 goals.
Although the Nerazzurri have remained unbeaten in their last eight competitive matches against the Laziali (six wins, two draws) and have conceded a total of twelve goals to the team from the Eternal City in their last four encounters—scoring at least two goals per game in each of those matches. However, after celebrating the Scudetto in style over the weekend and having the start of the week off, the slightly hungover Lombards could well struggle to find the back of the net multiple times again on the banks of the Tiber, particularly given the Biancocelesti’s compact defense.
Against this backdrop, it also makes a lot of sense to predict that the Nerazzurri will score no more than one away goal at the Stadio Olimpico, regardless of the match’s outcome.
Lazio Rome – Inter Milan Head-to-Head Record
Head to Head: 48 – 61 – 80
A total of 189 matches have taken place between the two clubs so far, and with 80 wins, Inter Milan leads the head-to-head record by a wide margin.
The Nerazzurri not only won the first leg in Serie A against Lazio Rome 2-0, but have also remained unbeaten in eight consecutive matches against the Aquile (six wins, two draws).
Lazio Rome – Inter Milan Prediction
According to the top bookmakers, the betting odds for Lazio Rome vs. Inter Milan clearly favor the Nerazzurri, which we consider a very bold assessment. The Lombards just secured the Scudetto last weekend, which was duly celebrated, and given that the match against the Laziali won’t really count until four days later in the Coppa Italia final, they can essentially take it easy in this inconsequential Serie A clash.
Even if the Biscione show up in the Eternal City at just 99 percent instead of 100, it could be enough to make this a rather tough affair. With only 34 goals conceded in 35 league games, the Aquile boast one of the best defensive lines in the country, though this has mostly come at the expense of offensive firepower. Their mere 39 goals scored is the lowest total among all teams in the top half of the table. Accordingly, the prediction for under 2.5 goals in Lazio vs. Inter Milan makes sense. Betano is offering odds of 2.05 for this, which we’re betting three out of ten units on.
