Lazio vs Real Sociedad

Stadio Olimpico forms the backdrop for a mouth-watering UEFA Europa League meeting between Lazio and Real Sociedad.

With a place in the playoffs sealed pre-round, table-topping Lazio will be out to beat their 2017/18 record of seven victories in a single UEFA European competition and maintain a near-flawless league-phase run (W5, D1). Indeed, Marco Baroni’s men have been in remarkable form across the opening six rounds, returning an eye-catching +11 goal difference (GF:14, GA:3). However, the only blemish on this incredible form came at the Stadio Olimpico, where they drew 0-0 with Ludogorets in round five. On the bright side, ‘I Biancocelesti’ thumped Hellas Verona 3-0 last weekend to end a three-game winless run in Serie A (D2, L1) and hold onto the final Champions League qualifying spot. But with just one win from their last five competitive home outings (D3, L1), Lazio can’t take anything for granted.

Visiting Real Sociedad must try to exploit Lazio’s recent form wobble to bolster their hopes of securing automatic last-16 qualification as they commence this round in 12th, albeit only two points adrift of 8th-placed Rangers. Imanol Alguacil’s men have won their last two Europa League matches by 2+ goals ‘to nil,’ setting themselves up nicely for this trip. However, both wins came in San Sebastian, while they’ve only won one of their last four away games in this competition (D1, L2), casting doubt on their effort to topple the best-performing Europa League side. Moreover, after a three-game winning start to 2025, ‘La Real’ slumped to a dismal 1-0 defeat at La Liga underachievers Valencia last weekend.