Serie A Genoa vs Lazio: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

Date: 19/04/24

Kick-off time: 17:30

Venue: Luigi Ferraris
With six games remaining, Lazio’s hopes of European football remain alive, though victory this weekend will be a must in order to keep pace with the sides above them. They currently sit seventh on 49 points, and are six points behind Roma, who hold the final European spot. However, Atalanta are a point and a place ahead of them but have two games in hand, which could make their task more difficult as they will have to leapfrog two teams. A defeat could see them fall in the table, with Napoli only trailing them on goal difference. Torino in ninth are also just four points behind.

Genoa, in contrast, have very little to play for with minimal games left, as they languish in mid-table. In 12th, they are well clear of relegation, and too far behind to threaten any of the teams above them. This may cause Lazio more issues as there is no pressure on the side to perform.

Goal scoring is not a strength for either side, with the visitors’ 41 goals only better than Torino in the top half. Their top scorer is Ciro Immobile with just six, though he has been out with injury. The offensive load has been passed onto Felipe Anderson, who has five on the season, with two of them coming in their most recent game. Genoa have found the back of the net just 34 times this season. They will look to Albert Gudmundsson to provide an attacking threat, as he has scored 12.

In their last five league meetings, Lazio have got the better of their opponents on three occasions, losing just once. However, that one Genoa victory came in the most recent game, which was the reverse fixture earlier this season. Away from home, Genoa came out on top as narrow 1-0 winners, with Mateo Retegui scoring the winning goal. They also faced off in the Coppa Italia Round of 16, in which Lazio won 1-0. Matteo Guendouzi scored the decisive goal after five minutes.

Genoa

Alan Matturro has been absent through injury whilst Ruslan Malinovskyi is hopeful to return later this month.

Lazio

Lazio have a number of injuries to contend with, though most are expected to return by the end of the month. Matteo Guendouzi has a shin injury, whilst Luca Pellegrini has an ankle injury. Ciro Immobile and Alessio Romagnoli are also out.

Genoa
In their last five games, Genoa have won one, lost two and drawn two. They face Fiorentina on Monday night before they take on Lazio at the weekend. Their latest game was a 2-1 win at relegation threatened Hellas Verona. They did go behind very early on with Federico Bonazzoli putting the hosts ahead after just eight minutes. Caleb Ekuban responded on the stroke of half-time, before Albert Gudmundsson netted the decisive goal shortly after the restart.
It was a welcome victory following a pair of draws in which they faced Frosinone and Juventus. Firstly, at Juventus, they held them to a goalless draw. They were dominated in both possession and shot attempts, though Juventus were only able to muster two on target, with neither side able to find a breakthrough. They got on the scoresheet at home to Frosinone, but could not find a winner. Gudmundsson broke the deadlock from the spot, but their lead lasted just six minutes as Reiner Jesus equalised.

The second of their two defeats was at home to Monza. They did not lead once in this game as they fell 3-2. The visitors were two goals ahead before 20 minutes, but Genoa were able to claw their way back to 2-2 in the second half. They were unable to find a winner and instead conceded with just over 10 minutes to go. They faced a tricky trip to Inter Milan in the first game of this stretch, and they could not cause an upset as they lost 2-1. Kristjan Asllani and Alexis Sanchez gave Inter a 2-0 half-time lead. Johan Vasquez halved the deficit, but they could not complete a comeback.

Lazio
In their last five games, Lazio have won three and lost two. It has been a fairly decent stretch for Lazio as they fight for a European place. Their most recent game was a dominant 4-1 home win against bottom side Salernitana. Most of the action came in the first half, as Felipe Anderson gave the hosts a seventh minute lead. This advantage was soon doubled by Matias Vecino, but Loum Tchaouna pulled one back just two minutes later. Anderson completed his brace before half time to restore the two-goal cushion, before Gustav Isaksen added another late on.

It was the perfect response to a narrow 1-0 loss at Roma. Both teams attempted a number of shots, but were only able to achieve a combined four on target. It was a tight affair that was just edged by the home side with Gianluca Mancini scoring the first half-winner. Attention shifted to the Coppa Italia as they took on Juventus away from home in the first leg of the semi-final. They were 2-0 losers as they face a deficit to overcome in the next leg. Federico Chiesa and Dusan Vlahovic got the second half goals.

They faced Juventus in the league a few days prior, and this time they were on the right end of the result, winning 1-0. They did so in dramatic fashion as Adam Marusic scored a 93rd minute winner to secure all three points for his team. The first game of this run was a 3-2 win at Frosinone. They fell behind early, but turned it around to go 3-1 up with goals from Mattia Zaccagni and Valentin Castellanos (x2). Walid Cheddira pulled another back, but the hosts could not find an equaliser.

Lazio have much more to play for than Genoa and we expect that to be evident in their performance. With superior talent and greater motivation, the visitors should pick up a win – Genoa 1-2 Lazio

Genoa vs Lazio will be available to watch on TNT Sports 1.