1st Team

Lazio - OM: It's high-stakes in Rome

Posted by
OM.net
On Thursday 8 November 2018 at 10:12

A complicated VISIT without fans

Vanquished in the first leg, les Olympiens are determined to avoid elimination from the group stage with the match in Rome. Finalists last season, Rudi Garcia and his men will have to overthrow Lazio tto maintain any hope. Not an easy task considering the quality and experience of the opponent. To make things more difficult, OM will not be able to count on supporters, which have been banned from traveling on this match.

Must-Win

The Eintracht Frankfurt (9 points) is in a strong position after the first leg of matches. Behind them, Lazio (6 points) has taken control by winning at the Orange Velodrome two weeks ago, and OM shares last place with Limassol (1 point).

Historically, Marseille does not like traveling to Italy, winning only one of 9 trips in European competition (4 draws, 4 defeats). The one win was 14 April 2004 against Inter Milan (1-0) in the UEFA Cup quarter-final. It's a trend that will need reversing because only a win in Rome will allow OM to maintain the mathematical hope of a qualification beyond the Group Stage.

A confident Lazio at home

Lazio has lost only one of its last 13 European Cup home matches (10 wins, 2 draws) - 17 March 2016 against Sparta Prague in the UEFA Europa League round of 16 (0 -3). Fifth in the Serie A table, they were formidable in the first leg. The Italians have featured cold and the hot form in their last two matchdays. Slapped at home by Inter (0-3), Simone Inzaghi 's squad then largely beat SPAL (4-1) on Sunday. Their star striker, Ciro Immobile, scored his 7th and 8th goals through 11 days of action.

A message from Rudi Garcia

"We will have to be able to demonstrate here that we have this ability to bounce back, because the quality of a group is measured when things are most difficult. I'm waiting for a reaction from my group, I know they have it and its not something that just gets lost like that overnight. In recent times, we may have tried too hard and we have forgotten to score goals. I prefer to win 3-2 rather than not score as is the case right now. "