Italian clubs started well in the Champions League this week and Lazio are tipped to continue the trend on Thursday.
The Serie A side embark on another Europa League campaign, having claimed the Coppa Italia last term, and begin with a home tie against Legia Warsaw.
The Poles are domestic cup winners too but the gulf in class is fairly sizeable and even best quotes of 4/6 about a Lazio triumph appeal.
The Biancocelesti won’t be challenging for the Scudetto come May but manager Vladimir Petkovic guided his team to the quarter-finals of this competition during his first season in charge twelve months ago and Lazio should start with maximum points.
It is only one defeat in the Europa League at Stadio Olimpico for Lazio in their last 12 outings, a 2-1 reversal to eventual champions Atletico Madrid last February, and their defensive record in front of their own fans is excellent.
Seven clean sheets have been kept in that time and while Juventus proved far too good for Thursday’s hosts in Turin earlier this term, finding Federico Marchetti’s net four times, Lazio can usually be relied upon on home soil.
Since the start of 2012 it is 22 wins in 31 Serie A matches in the capital, an excellent return, and Legia have their work cut out.
Victories this season over Udinese and Chievo, Antonio Candeva on target in both, have teed Lazio up nicely for the Rome derby this weekend but I’m more than hopeful the Poles can be swept aside en route.
The Ekstraklasa leaders failed at the qualifying stage for the Europa League last term but gain automatic entry this time around and will be optimistic of advancing at the expense of other Group J rivals Apollon and Trabzonspor.
A Vladimir Dvalishvili hat-trick last time out kept Legia at the summit but they were far from watertight defensively when winning 5-3 at bottom of the table Korona Kielce and have already been beaten twice this season.
I expected Lazio to be no bigger than 1/2 to open in the best possible fashion and am happy to play at the price, despite lingering doubts about the strength of their starting line up with their great rivals on the horizon.
2pts Back Lazio (vs. Legia Warsaw) @ 4/6 (Bet Victor)