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SHANGHAI, CHINA - AUGUST 08:  Mario Mandzukic (C) of Juventus FC contests the ball against Stefan De Vrij (R) of Lazio during the Italian Super Cup final football match between Juventus and Lazio at Shanghai Stadium on August 8, 2015 in Shanghai, China.  (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)
SHANGHAI, CHINA - AUGUST 08: Mario Mandzukic (C) of Juventus FC contests the ball against Stefan De Vrij (R) of Lazio during the Italian Super Cup final football match between Juventus and Lazio at Shanghai Stadium on August 8, 2015 in Shanghai, China. (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)Lintao Zhang/Getty Images

Lazio vs. Juventus: Team News, Predicted Lineups, Live Stream, TV Info

Adam DigbyDec 3, 2015

Travelling to Rome, Juventus’ season comes full circle on Friday evening as they take on the same Lazio side they defeated back in August. Both teams have endured difficult times since that clash in Shanghai, suffering a series of bad results that left many questions over the collective potential of each side.

The Bianconeri have now seemingly put their woes behind them, winning their fourth consecutive Serie A fixture with last weekend’s victory in Palermo. With that match and the win over Milan sandwiching their Champions League tie with Manchester City, they have also now kept three clean sheets in a row.

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With seven goals and three assists to his name already, Paulo Dybala has been central to Juve’s resurgence, but he was quick to praise the effort of the whole team as he spoke to Sky Italia this week, per the club’s official website:

"

We’re playing in the right way at the moment. We’ve approached all of the matches in this little run with the same rhythm while taking nothing for granted from our opponents and that consistent mindset is bringing us good results.

There were big changes to the squad relative to last season so it's natural we started slowly. We're all working hard to put the boss' plans into practice: we'll get to where we want to be at the top of the table by all pulling together in the same direction.

"
SHANGHAI, CHINA - AUGUST 08:  Paulo Dybala of Juventus FC in celebrates a goal during the Italian Super Cup final football match between Juventus and Lazio at Shanghai Stadium on August 8, 2015 in Shanghai, China.  (Photo by Lintao Zhang/Getty Images)

Having already climbed up to fifth, the Bianconeri have a chance to put real pressure on the sides above them if they can beat Lazio, a team devoid of confidence and cohesion.They look nothing like the confident and well-organised unit that rose to third place last season, failing to win any of their last five fixtures.

But Juve coach Massimiliano Allegri is taking nothing for granted, noting that the current form of the Biancocelesti is likely to make them a more dangerous opponent when his men step out at the Stadio Olimpico.

“I am looking at the fact we have Lazio coming up and they will be furious at recent results,” Allegri told Mediaset Premium (h/t Football Italia), adding that they will be “extra determined and ready to throw everything at us.”

Date: Friday, December 4, 2015

Time: 7:45 p.m. GMT/2:45 p.m. ET

Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome

TV Info: BT Sport Europe (UK) beIN Sports 2 (U.S.)

Live Stream: BT Connect (UK)

Form Lines

Last five domestic results:

Atalanta 2-1 LazioSassuolo 1-0 Juventus
Lazio 1-3 MilanJuventus 2-1 Torino
AS Roma 2-0 LazioEmpoli 1-3 Juventus
Lazio 1-1 PalermoJuventus 1-0 Milan
Empoli 1-0 LazioPalermo 0-3 Juventus

Probable Formations

Lazio: (4-2-3-1): Federico Marchetti; Dusan Basta, Santiago Gentiletti, Mauricio, Stefan Radu; Lucas Biglia, Marco Parolo; Antonio Candreva, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Felipe Anderson; Filip Djordjevic

Unavailable: Stefan de Vrij, Stefano Mauri, Eddy Onazi (all injured)

Juventus (3-5-2): Gigi Buffon; Andrea Barzagli, Leonardo Bonucci, Giorgio Chiellini; Stephan Lichtsteiner, Sami Khedira, Claudio Marchisio, Stefano Sturaro, Alex Sandro; Mario Mandzukic, Paulo Dybala

Unavailable: Kwadwo Asamoah, Hernanes, Simone Padoin and Roberto Pereyra (all injured) Paul Pogba (suspended)

ROME, ITALY - NOVEMBER 22:  Lucas Biglia of SS Lazio gestures during the Serie A match between SS Lazio and US Citta di Palermo at Stadio Olimpico on November 22, 2015 in Rome, Italy.  (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Player to Watch

If Lazio are to enjoy success against the Bianconeri, they will need Lucas Biglia to be on top form in central midfield. The Argentinian is the one player in Stefano Pioli’s squad who can compete with the likes of Claudio Marchisio in the Juve side, and the home side will need all his experience here.

Biglia is the club’s second-highest scorer, weighing in with four goals and one assist in nine Serie A appearances thus far. He is also their most accomplished passer, statistics courtesy of WhoScored.com showing he has completed 86.1 percent of his team-high 69.4 attempts per game.

The same source also highlights his excellent defensive effort, noting his averages of 3.4 tackles and 2.3 interceptions per game. His form has attracted a host of European clubs, with Gazzetta World reporting Inter, Real Madrid and Liverpool are believed to be pursuing the 28-year-old.

BERGAMO, ITALY - OCTOBER 28:  Carlos Carmona (R) of Atalanta competes for the ball with Felipe Anderson of Lazio during the Serie A match between Atalanta BC and SS Lazio at Stadio Atleti Azzurri d'Italia on October 28, 2015 in Bergamo, Italy.  (Photo by

Key Battle

If Biglia will need to be on form, Lazio will also hope to see Felipe Anderson return to having the kind of impact he had last term, with the Brazilian playing way below that level so far in 2015/16.

He may lead the side with four goals, but he has yet to consistently recapture the lightning-quick counter-attacking style that was such a feature of his—and indeed the team’s—play in the previous campaign.

Looking to prevent him from doing so on Friday will be Stephan Lichtsteiner; the Juventus full-back is among the best in Europe at his position but will be tested in this matchup.

The Swiss international has been as dependable as ever, netting a vital goal against Borussia Monchengladbach while helping to improve Juve’s defensive record. If he can successfully marshal Anderson, the Bianconeri will be well on their way to enjoying a good display in the Italian capital.

Odds (via Odds Shark)

Away win: 36-25

Home win: 48-25

Draw: 9-4

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