Lazio - Atalanta Italy - Serie A Prediction

Lazio - Atalanta
26.04 15:00
After three straight defeats Lazio are on a roll again while this weekend’s opponents, Atalanta, appear to be on the slide.
Lazio have now notched up impressive back-to-back victories in Serie A, beating Roma 4-2 in the Derby del Cupolone and becoming only the second team to claim victory over Genoa at Marassi. It would seem that the threats made by President Claudio Lotito a couple of weeks ago have had the desire effect, stirring Lazio out of their midseason malaise.
Lotito said he was no longer willing to pay the players after a series of abject performances and was considering replacing Coach Delio Rossi. The man he had in mind for the Lazio bench was one Gigi Del Neri, whose Atalanta side have not won in each of their last four games.
Del Neri had praise heaped upon him in the spring when he led the Orobici to deserved victories over Italian champions Inter and Roma. Atalanta have since slipped to 11th place, though, and one gets the feeling they achieved safety too soon.
The Orobici have evidently found it difficult to get motivated in the last few weeks what with relegation and Europe too much a speck in the distance to cause them concern. They are six points behind ninth placed Lazio, who are in with a fighting chance of qualifying for next year’s Europa Cup.
The Biancocelesti have a challenging run in, though, which includes the likes of Inter, Udinese, Palermo, Reggina and Juventus, so they need to beat Atalanta if they are to keep their dreams alive.
On their day, Lazio are one of the most exciting sides in Serie A and have a devastating trident up front comprised of Mauro Zarate, Goran Pandev and Tommaso Rocchi.
Atalanta are confident in front of goal too, though. Sergio Floccari has attracted interest from Juventus, Genoa and Roma after scoring 12 goals in 30 appearances this season.
Keep an eye on: Mauro Zarate (Lazio) – The diminutive 22-year-old Argentine is finishing the season strong. He has scored in each of his last two games, taking his tally for the season to 12 goals in 31 games for Lazio. Zarate is expected to sign for the Biancocelesti this summer, but bigger fish are believed to be circling around him.
Tip: Lazio, Odds 1.75; Over 2.5 goals, Odds 2.1;