Lazio vs Fiorentina: Preview

Fresh off a massive win against Cremonese that hauled them out of last place, the Viola get a sterner test in the capital against Lazio. The 9th-place Aquile haven’t won in 3 straight (draws vs Cremonese and at Udinese, then a home loss to Napoli on Sunday) and are dealing with mayhem of their own, mostly stemming from Maurizio Sarri’s ongoing spat with ownership over the club’s transfer policy along with a number of absences.

The match will be played on Wednesday, 7 January 2026, at 19:45 GMT/2:45 PM EST at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome. It’s going to be chilly in the city but shouldn’t dip down to freezing, although the wind might make it feel that way. Expect a lot of shots of people on the bench or in the stands peering out from deep within the recesses of the hoods on their heavy coats.

Three things to watch for

1. Which winger plays on which side

My guess is that Manor Solomon gets his first start here in Paolo Vanoli’s new 4-3-3. The question is whether he plays on the left, where Albert Guðmundsson’s been stationed the past few weeks, or on the right. Solomon initially went in on the right wing but didn’t make much impact there. His cross that led to Moise Kean’s dramatic winner came from the left.

It might be less a matter of who’s better suited to play on the left and more a matter of who’s worse suited to play on the right. Guðmundsson’s played on the right quite a bit in his career but not much since his time at AZ. 3 managers have struggled to coax good performances from him so leaving him on the left, where he might be able to build some continuity, probably outweighs any upgrade Solomon provides on that side. Either way, Paolo Vanoli at least has a simple in-game adjustment available by swapping the two as circumstances warrant.

It’s a bit of a puzzle because the defensive infrastructure is designed to cover Guðmundsson’s frailties on the left wing. Having him and Robin Gosens on that side is a harrowing prospect, but having him on the right isn’t much better; Vanoli’s liked doubling up fullbacks on that side for some balance. My guess is that we’ll see Albert on the left for now, giving Vanoli an easy in-game adjustment, but he could jump either way.

2. Defending the wide areas

This links back to the previous point. Fiorentina’s looked anything but solid this year regardless of personnel or tactics but swapping out a fullback on the wing in Fabiano Parisi or Niccolò Fortini for a pure attacker in Solomon will reverberate all the way back. The main issue is Robin Gosens, whose primary impact is goign forward. Luca Ranieri’s defensive solidity gives a winger cover ahead of him, while the Goose is mostly a box presence at this point rather than someone you want 1-v-1 against opposing wingers.

Guðmundsson and Gosens sharing the left is an open invitation to Lazio to cook on that side but I also worry about the right. Dodô’s physical limitations mean he’s vulnerable defensively, which Vanoli has mitigated by having another fullback (Fabiano Parisi or Niccolò Fortini) ahead of him. Solomon won’t offer the same defensive cover. That means the midfielders will be stretched very thin, tasked with both clogging up the middle against Sarri’s quick passing but also shuttling out wide to help the fullbacks.

That puts the midfield on tilt because Cher Ndour’s suited to all that running but Rolando Mandragora isn’t. A 4-2-3-1 with Guðmundsson as the 10 and Parisi/Fortini on the right might be a solution but would leave the Mandrake out. Basically, Vanoli’s trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle with pieces that don’t actually connect. He’ll stick with this 4-3-3 for now and hope that everyone figures out some way to make it work but it all looks quite fragile, which is, I suppose, business as usual for Fiorentina.

3. Sarri plugging leaks

Lazio’s got quite a few absences to deal with. Centerbacks Samuel Gigot and Patric are injured. Forwards Fisayo Dele-Bashiru and Boulaye Dia are at AFCON. Adam Marušić and Tijjani Noslin are suspended. Taty Castellanos just got sold to West Ham and Matteo Guendouzi might be en route to Fenerbahçe. Maurizio Sarri’s running around like a Loony Tunes character putting buckets under a roof full of leaks and looking up in despair as another shingle falls off the roof.

My guess is that he’ll go for Pedro as the 9 in his 4-3-3 but it could just as easily be Matteo Cancellieri or Mattia Zaccagni. These are all wingers of some variety so I’d expect them to drift around, either coming deep or pulling wide rather than battling with Fiorentina’s centerbacks. The Viola defense will need to communicate well to pass off those marking assignments but could do well by winning long balls, preventing Lazio from getting out. In Sarri’s system, this could be less of a problem than it would be for other managers, but don’t expect his side to play with its usual fluidity.

Possible lineups

Ted’s Memorial Blind Guess Department

Lazio’s favored but not by as much as I’d expect. Sure, the Aquile are mired in a miniature crisis, but Fiorentina’s mired in a longer and worse crisis and haven’t won on the road yet in Serie A. Were I a betting man, I’d put a decent amount of money on the hosts here. I’d also be pounding the table for the under: Lazio hasn’t scored more than a single goal in a game since November and Fiorentina’s managed the feat just three times all year. It’s probably a race to one goal, and if either side scores twice, that should settle the matter.

Because I’m not a betting man, though, I’ll call this one a truly miserable 0-1 win for the visitors. As impossible as it sounds, the Viola may have better vibes at the moment and also don’t have the better part of an XI absent for various reasons. I’ll call Kean to make it two games in a row with a goal, this time by getting in behind and finishing, but I’m also expecting a game pretty short on quality. Keep an eye on the refereeing, too: Simone Sozza’s averaged a penalty or red card per game this year in Serie A, including a second yellow for Mattia Viti in the Inter Milan game earlier this year.

Forza Viola!