Juventus at Lazio: 5 key players to watch in Sunday’s big match

Juventus will travel to the Stadio Olimpico for the second time this season to face Lazio, who were their biggest title challengers in 2019-2020.

It has been a rough start to the season for both Juventus and Lazio, but while Juve are still in the top three, Lazio are barely in the top half of the Serie A table.

Despite Lazio’s struggles, they are still a tough opponent for Juventus, especially if star striker Ciro Immobile is able to make his return from COVID-19. Immobile was the top scorer in the league last season ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo.

Here are five key players to watch on the Bianconeri as Juve look to secure the full three points in Roma this weekend.

FW Cristiano Ronaldo

Cristiano Ronaldo’s brace lifted Juventus to a win over Lazio in July when the Bianconeri were facing a must-win proposition in the Serie A title race.

So far in 2020-2021, Ronaldo has given Juve quite the lift. The last time they played at the Stadio Olimpico this season, CR7’s brace rescued a point against AS Roma in a game that the Bianconeri, quite honestly, should have lost.

Ronaldo stands a good chance of adding two more goals to his tally this Sunday, because he scored twice for Juve in his return off the bench at Spezia. He is in fine form and ready to win the Capocannoniere off Immobile this time.

CB Leonardo Bonucci

If Ciro Immobile plays, Leonardo Bonucci might be the second-most important player on the pitch for the Bianconeri this Sunday after Ronaldo. But even if Immobile is out of the lineup, Bonucci will have an important role to play in the story of this game at the heart of the Bianocneri’s defense, regardless of if Andrea Pirlo uses a back four or three.

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• Leonardo Bonucci may be leaving Juventus soon

Bonucci has been up-and-down this season again, to the point where many Juventini are wondering if Matthijs de Ligt, Merih Demiral, and either Danilo or Giorgio Chiellini would be a superior back three to one involving the seemingly declining Bonucci.

So against the dynamic Joaquin Correa and the experienced Felipe Caicedo, Bonucci would still have a big point to prove to Juventini.

CM Adrien Rabiot

Adrien Rabiot has become a vital player to Juventus after a rough start to life in Turin, which included transfer rumors before the restart this summer.

When football returned, Rabiot was at his best for Juve, and he’s been arguably even better to start the 2020-2021 season, looking at his defensive statistics.

Per WhoScored.com, the former PSG man is averaging a jaw-dropping 4.7 tackles per game and 3.0 interceptions per game in the Champions League. And in Serie A, he’s reading the game expertly well for Pirlo’s side with an average of 2.2 interceptions per game.

Rabiot has become a steely presence in Juve’s midfield, and as we saw against Spezia last weekend, he is capable of finding the back of the net. Against Luis Alberto and Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who form the best midfield duo in the entire league, Rabiot will be leaned on.

LWB Federico Chiesa

Federico Chiesa has added a lot to the Juventus attack with his hard work down the wings and his timely deliveries from the left-hand side. We haven’t seen the Fiorentina loanee offer much of a goal threat, but he plays as a creator down the flanks for Juve, which is what the Bianconeri primarily needed to support Ronaldo, Alvaro Morata, and Paulo Dybala.

So far this season, Chiesa is averaging 2.0 key passes per game, 1.5 dribbles completed per game, and 1.5 fouls drawn per game. He is putting in all the hard work for Juve’s attack, as he and Juan Cuadrado are forming quite the creative pairing on the flanks.

FW Alvaro Morata

Alvaro Morata is THE man in form for Juventus right now. The former Real Madrid youth academy product seems perfectly at home in Turin, where he once helped lead the Bianconeri to a Champions League Final appearance.

The No. 9 is Juve’s leader in assists in Serie A with two, and he also has two goals in the league. In the Champions League, Morata has four goals, as he picked up another brace at mid-week in the 4-1 win over Ferencvaros.

Since Morata is on fire, he could very well find the back of the net again on Sunday or at least provide a goal contribution via an assist for his forward partner Ronaldo. These two players are becoming perfectly in sync.