Lazio vs Celtics Preview: Sarri Is Under Pressure To Win

JAKARTA – Lazio will host Celtics on the fifth matchday of Group E of the 2023/2024 Champions League at the Stadio Olimpico, Rome, Wednesday, 29 November 2023, early morning WIB.

The Biancocelesti are under pressure to win considering they have just had bad results. In the latest Serie A match, Maurizio Sarri's men were beaten by the bottom of the standings, Salernitana 1-2.

This achievement extends Lazio's bad record, which has never won in its last three Serie A matches and is now in 11th place.

According to the Gazetta, the defeat made Lazio President, Claudio Lotito, furious. Sarri's fate hangs in the balance if he can't win against the Celtics.

The match against the Hoops, nicknamed the Celtics, should be easy. The visiting team came without a target because they definitely would not qualify for the knockout phase.

Chasing the Europa League route will also be difficult. The thing is, currently they have only collected one point from four matches. There is still a meeting with Feyenoord in the final group match where of course the opponent is more capable of pursuing the Europa League.

Even so, Sarri must ensure that Lazio appear convincing and do not stumble a second time. He must immediately find the origins of the poor performance of Ciro Immobile and his colleagues, such as his complaints after the match against Salernitana.

“Either the responsibility lies with me or we have lost our identity. Last year these games were won easily.”

“In my opinion, too many players are not performing well. If Lazio play like this, it's useless to talk about finishing in a high position.”

“We will finish in mid-table calmly. "At the moment our performance is not up to standard for Lazio to be able to achieve their goals," said Sarri.

Sarri must find a solution. At least, he must spark the enthusiasm of his students to win three points.

He can put forward the results of the first meeting with the Celtics where they picked up three points away from home.

Apart from that, the next motivation is to make it easier for Lazio to qualify for the knockout phase. Victory over Celtics will at least make them calmer when facing Atletico Madrid, the leader of Group E, in the last match.