Serie A's form side Lazio aim to keep a lock on second place in the standings, as they welcome mid-table Torino to Stadio Olimpico on Saturday.
Ascending the table while their top-four rivals have struggled for momentum, the Biancocelesti's four-match winning run has seen them concede only one goal; meanwhile, 12th-placed Toro have taken just two points from their last four games.
Match preview
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Consolidating their gains from beating league leaders Napoli, arch-rivals Roma and a resurgent Juventus over the past few weeks, Lazio took care of business at Stadio Alberto Picco last Friday by seeing off struggling Spezia.
Before suffering the latest setback of an injury-scarred season, captain Ciro Immobile returned to the scoresheet with a first-half penalty which put the capital club on their way, before goals from Brazilian duo Felipe Anderson and Marcos Antonio ultimately sealed the deal.
Lazio have now kept 18 clean sheets in Serie A this season - conceding only 20 goals in the process - which has laid the foundations for their likely return to the Champions League.
Only Barcelona (with 22 clean sheets and nine goals conceded) can boast better records across Europe's top five leagues in the 2022-23 campaign, and Maurizio Sarri is winning plenty of plaudits for moulding an incredibly efficient side.
Sitting second in the standings, Lazio's route to a top-four finish has been complicated by this week's decision to overturn a 15-point penalty handed down to Juventus, who are now just two behind in third place, but their destiny still lies within their own hands.
However, nothing is decided yet, so Sarri will be keen to secure his 150th Serie A victory on Saturday evening - particularly with fixtures against both Milan clubs sandwiching the visit of fellow form side Sassuolo over the next fortnight.
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Ahead of their latest trip to Rome, Torino have won only one of their last 18 league meetings with Lazio at Stadio Olimpico - though they have at least drawn each of the last four against their capital-city counterparts.
A goalless stalemate in August's reverse fixture was the most recent of that run, and despite some early signs of promise, the Granata have been unable to rise above mid-table mediocrity since then.
Now winless in four league matches - their worst streak since October - Ivan Juric's side have recently alternated defeats to Napoli and Roma with draws against Sassuolo and, last weekend, Salernitana.
Top scorer Antonio Sanabria found the net again to rescue a point on that occasion, and Torino's only realistic target for the remainder of the season is posting another top-half finish; building on the progress seen since Juric took charge in Turin.
Outside of Serie A's top six, they hold the division's best away record, but visiting Lazio in the Eternal City will provide its own distinct challenge - and perhaps one of their toughest of the whole season.
Team News
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Having sustained back and rib injuries from a car accident in Rome this week, Lazio skipper Ciro Immobile was expected to miss Saturday's game at a minimum, but it is now thought he could feature on the bench.
In his likely absence from the starting lineup, Felipe Anderson may be asked to fill in as a false nine, and the ex-West Ham winger has been directly involved in eight Serie A goals from 11 previous appearances against Torino.
Pedro should therefore return to the hosts' starting XI, while either Luis Alberto or Marcos Antonio will replace the suspended Danilo Cataldi in midfield.
Torino, meanwhile, are hampered by a more extensive absentee list, as Ola Aina, David Zima and Ronaldo Vieira are all set to miss out on a trip to the capital; Pietro Pellegri and Samuele Ricci are also doubts due to muscular problems.
Perr Schuurs returns following a one-match ban, though, and should feature in the Granata's back three, a move which could see captain Ricardo Rodriguez switch back to the left flank.
Up front, Antonio Sanabria - now onto nine league goals this term - could become just the second Paraguayan player to hit double figures in a Serie A season, and the first since 1958.
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Marusic, Casale, Romagnoli, Hysaj; S. Milinkovic-Savic, Vecino, Alberto; Pedro, Anderson, Zaccagni
Torino possible starting lineup:
V. Milinkovic-Savic; Gravillon, Schuurs, Buongiorno; Singo, Linetty, Ilic, Rodriguez; Radonjic, Miranchuk; Sanabria
We say: Lazio 1-0 Torino
Not the most prolific side in Serie A by any means, Torino will find it tough to break down a durable Lazio team with their eyes on the prize of a top-four finish. The hosts' recent run of success should continue, then, if they can find a goal from one of several possible sources.
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