Lazio Vs. Inter Milan: Pre-Match Primer

Leading up to the key Serie A fixture between Lazio and Inter Milan, Lazio have put out a lineup that resembles what they have done throughout the season while Rafa Benitez’s selection for Inter Milan looks bizarre at first glance. However, when you take into account the massive volume of injuries and suspensions that his team has suffered in recent weeks, his selection makes sense based on the players available to him. Samuel Eto’o, Diego Milito, and Phillipe Coutinho are all out, leaving Benitez with limited attacking options. As a result, he is using a formation that is not completely foreign to him and his side, but different from his well-known 4-2-3-1 setup. Here are your lineups.

Lazio lineup (4-4-2 Diamond): Muslera / Dias, Biava, Radu, Lichtsteiner / Brocci, Matuzalem, Mauri, Hernanes / Floccari, Zarate

Inter Milan lineup (4-4-2 Diamond): Castellazzi / Zanetti, Cordoba, Lucio, Natalino / Cambiasso, Muntari, Stankovic, Sneijder / Biabiany, Pandev

Jonathan Biabiany has spent most of his time as a wide player this season, but he is also capable of playing up top and will be asked to be a striker tonight. One curious selection is the omission of Davide Santon, a talented young fullback who has proven himself capable of playing either right or left back. With the injuries suffered by various Inter Milan defenders, one would expect to see him in the lineup. Instead, 18 year old Felice Natalino has been preferred.

Lazio and Inter’s formations are essentially matching, but expect Lazio to play with more width. Matuzalem and Mauri aren’t what most people think of when they think of true wingers in a 4-4-2 setup, but they are much more accustomed to playing wide than Muntari and Stankovic, who are somewhere between box to box and defensive midfield players.

The key matchup today will likely be Lazio’s playmaker and potential Serie A signing of the season Hernanes against one of the best defensive midfielders in the world when healthy, Esteban Cambiasso. Keep an eye on Hernanes early in the match and if he’s getting touches and space on the ball. Brocci and Sneijder will have a similar matchup, but Lazio are less likely to leave the job of shutting down their opposition’s playmaker to one man than Inter are.

Kickoff is at 2:45 ET from Rome and we’ll have live updates throughout the match.