Juventus: 5 key players to watch against Lazio

Juventus vs. Lazio will carry plenty of title race implications for both clubs.

Neither Juventus nor Lazio have looked up to the task in recent weeks, with Lazio now outside of the top three heading into Monday night’s match at the Allianz Stadium. But the Bianconeri, as the bigger club looking to win their ninth straight Scudetto, are under more pressure, especially after their defense has imploded in three straight games.

Juve could not beat Milan, Atalanta, or Sassuolo, blowing 2-0 leads against both Milan and Sassuolo. At least they were able to get a point out of Wednesday’s road game, but that’s a poor return for the top team against the eight-placed team.

Here are five players to watch on Juve in this must-win match vs. Lazio.

RW Douglas Costa

Douglas Costa is expected to finally get the start, as Juventus have been easing him back into the starting lineup after his return from injury. The Brazilian forward is the team’s best chance creator in the final third, as he’s a great dribbler and crosser with plenty of experience. He’s even showed his technical class this season with a brilliant curved goal vs. Genoa.

Costa should be a massive upgrade over Federico Bernardeschi in the XI, and that could prove to be the difference against a strong Lazio side. Bernardeschi has been awful lately, so Costa for most of the 90 minutes could be key for Maurizio Sarri finally picking up a full three points.