Serie A Preview: Reggina-Lazio
Barely have Reggina recovered from their beating against Milan at the
San Siro, and they are up against another of the Serie A heavyweights.
It was always a tall order for the Calabrians to pick up anything in
the Rossoneri's back yard and, as expected, it proved beyond them. Not
that they were helped by the 20th minute sending-off of Jorge Vargas
for his challenge on the superb Manuel Rui Costa in the penalty area.
Reggina did chase the game afterwards but Milan dominated the second-half
and scored the goal they deserved though Rivaldo.
Still, it isn't the games against the likes of Milan and Lazio that Bortolo
Mutti's men will be targeting, but rather those against the teams around
them. Hence the reason why clashes against Modena, Empoli and Reggina mean
a massive three weeks ahead.
Lazio are nicely positioned behind the top sides and retained their 100%
away record with that 2-1 win at Empoli on Sunday. Their display was never
particularly convincing but Roberto Mancini's men did move up a notch once
Stefano Fiore and Claudio Lopez were introduced as substitutes. Dejan
Stankovic continued his good goalscoring form with the winner in the 81st
minute. The Yugoslav is in super form and produced another fine display in
that match.
Mancini has oulled off something little short of a miracle in what he's
done with this team. They may not be free-scoring but the Biancocelesti
aren't conceding goals by the bucket-full as some pundits would have
predicted at the start of the season. After all, a centre-back pairing of
Sinisa Mihajlovic and Fernando Couto hardly looks as safe as houses, but
with just seven goals conceded in seven games they must be doing something
right. Surely, though, the best defender at the club, Jaap Stam, deserves
to play in his natural position, instead of out on the right.
FORM GUIDE
Reggina's Last Six Matches: DDLWWL
The only recent wins have come against Modena in the cup and Torino in the
league last Sunday when they came from a goal down to win thanks to strikes
from Erjon Bogdani and Carlos Paredes.
Lazio's Last Six Matches: DWWDWW
Mancini's men have lost just one of their first ten games in all competition.
Recent wins over Perugia and Empoli have put them in a strong position in
Serie A, while the 2-2 draw against Lazio will also be seen as a point gained
despite Mihajlovic's late penalty miss.
LATEST TEAM NEWS
Reggina: captain Vargas is suspended after his red card against Milan, while
Leon has a sprained ankle. Cirillo and Veron are likely starters.
Lazio: Chiesa didn't look match-fit in his first start for the club against
Empoli, and Lopez is likely to replace him. Peruzzi is missing after his
clash with Saudati on Sunday. Second-choice stopper Marchegiani is also
struggling with a knee knock, so young Concetti could come in.
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Shunsuke Nakamura (Reggina): The Calabrians' main creative force. Although
he's only netted once from open play, he continues to look dangerous.
Possessed with great vision, while being superb on free kicks and long-range
shots.
Dejan Stankovic (Lazio): One of the finest midfielders in the league at
present, without a shadow of a doubt. He's weighing in with valuable goals
as well as fine all-round displays.
Stewart Coggin http://www.soccerage.com/
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