Southampton vs Lazio Prediction 07.08.2024

• Competition: Club Friendlies
• Date: Wednesday, 7th, August 2024
• Kickoff: 19:30 UK / 20.30 CEST
• Venue: St. Mary's Stadium (Southampton)

Southampton and Lazio will face off in a friendly clash at St Mary's Stadium on Wednesday, aiming to further boost their morale ahead of their respective domestic campaigns.

Southampton fully lived up to expectations last season and earned an immediate promotion to England's top football tier throughout the playoffs, knocking out WBA 3-1 on aggregate before finding themselves 1-0 up against Leeds Utd in the Championship final at the iconic Wembley. Preparations for the Premier League's new season are going well for Russell Martin's side thus far, having been victorious in four of their five summer friendlies, with their only blemish being a two-goal setback to Championship newcomers Oxford Utd on July 31.

Hampshire will be visited in midweek by Lazio, who endured a turbulent last season that saw them barely sneak into the top six to narrowly seal a spot in the group stages of UEFA's second-tier competition. With two more warm-up matches on the schedule before they take on freshly-promoted Venezia on the opening weekend of Serie A, head coach Marco Baroni will demand his men close the preseason without a loss after the Bianocelesti have posted four wins and a draw from five friendlies to date.

Southampton vs Lazio Betting Tips: BTTS

Although they will enjoy the comfort of playing at their St Mary's Stadium base, the Saints won’t have an easy task against Serie A side, but goals at both ends shouldn’t be a contentious issue between two well-tuned attacking sides. Having netted three or more times in three of their last four home fixtures, Southampton will trust in their offensive capabilities to penetrate Lazio's backline, which showed notable weaknesses last term, especially on the road with 39 goals allowed in 25 visits across all competitions. 

Still, Biancocelesti have shown themselves to be tough opponents, staying unbeaten in 13 matches across all competitions (W9 D4), including all five of their friendlies this summer, so they should be optimistic about extending their unbeaten run here. More importantly, it appears that the attacking front of the Roman club has not suffered from the departure of legendary striker Ciro Immobile, as the Biancocelesti have rattled the net nine times in their last four friendlies, and they will be hoping to get on the scoresheet here against one of the Championship's most breached defenses last term. Given all the elements, we expect a thrilling friendly encounter in which both sides will likely have no trouble finding their way to the goal.