Our prediction for this Europa League match:
All eyes will be on Stadio Olimpico when Lazio and Porto square off against each other in the Europa League round 4. The Bianconeri have found their best form of late and they are surely capable of matching the Dragons in “the Eternal City”. Defender Nuno Tavares is back from the domestic ban, while forward Mattia Zaccagni should be fit for Thursday’s clash.
Porto, on the other hand, defeated Hoffenheim 2-0 in their last Europa League clash, but they need to keep on winning if they are to climb to top eight in the standings. Lazio, though, are tough to beat at home and we believe that the two sides are going to share the spoils at Stadio Olimpico. Both Ivan Marcano and Wendell remain in the recovery room, while Brazil international Galeno is pushing for a start after scoring a brace in a 4-0 win over Estoril at the weekend.
Highlighted Player (Pepe):
Pepe is a professional footballer who plays for Porto as a defender. The Portuguese international played for Maritimo at the start of his senior career and in 2004 he moved to Porto. After making 64 league appearances for the Dragons, he signed a contract with Real Madrid in 2007 and he quickly established himself as a first-team regular.
Pepe is well known for his hard tackles and referees often show him red card. The Real Madrid centre back often played as a defensive midfielder under Jose Mourinho and it has to be noted that he scored five goals in all competitions in the 2013/2014 La Liga campaign.
The Portuguese footballer won his second Champions League trophy with Real Madrid in the 2015/2016 season and later in 2016 he helped A Selecao win the European Championship trophy. Portugal defeated France in the title game and Pepe played an important role in Fernando Santos’ team in the Euro 2016 final. The Real Madrid defender was born in Maceio, Brazil on 26 February, 1983.
Highlighted Team (Lazio):
Lazio Roma are an Italian football club based in Rome. Lazio were founded in 1900 and they compete in the Serie A. The Biancocelesti (The White and Sky Blues) have won two Serie A trophies (1973/1974, 1999/2000), while lifting six Coppa Italia titles.
The capital club play their home games at Stadio Olimpico and Roma are regarded as Lazio’s main rivals.
The two teams face each other in the Derby della Capitale and it is considered the fiercest inter-city derby in Italy. Lazio won UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup in 1999, with the team beating Mallorca in the title game. The same year they managed to clinch the UEFA Super Cup trophy as they outplayed English giants Manchester United at Stade Louis II, Monaco.
The likes of Pavel Nedved, Giuseppe Favalli, Juan Sebastian Veron, Sinisa Mihajlovic, Roberto Mancini, Giuseppe Signori, Miroslav Klose and Simone Inzaghi are notable footballers who played for Lazio in the past.