Venezia sit bottom of Serie A without a point after four games, having conceded 11 goals and scored just four since returning to the top flight. Lazio, fourth and unbeaten, collected 10 points from three wins and a draw under Gennaro Gattuso, letting in only three all season. A fifth straight defeat would intensify the pressure on Giovanni Stroppa considerably, whereas Lazio are chasing a top four spot. In seven Serie A meetings, Lazio have not lost to Venezia once, winning five and drawing two.
Stroppa and Gattuso have never faced each other as managers, with Stroppa taking charge on 1 July 2025 after Eusebio Di Francesco was replaced and Gattuso arriving at Lazio on 23 June 2026 following Maurizio Sarri's departure, so there is no tactical history to draw on. Their approaches are about as far apart stylistically as two coaches in the same league can get.
Venezia arrive having lost five straight Serie A matches: 0-2 to Lecce on 23 August, 0-2 to Milan on 28 August, 2-3 to Frosinone on 6 September and 2-4 to Fiorentina on 11 September. Lazio's last five produced three wins and two draws, a run that shows both how well they have been playing and how rarely they have been blown open at the back.
Venezia are without three players who matter: Gianluca Busio is out for at least six weeks with a muscular injury, Marin Šverko is unavailable and Bartol Franjic has a long term shoulder problem, so the midfield structure and defensive shape Stroppa has been trying to build looks undermined before kick off. Lazio have their own concerns, with Adam Marusic out with a thigh problem and Nicolo Rovella doubtful with a calf injury that could keep him sidelined until next week, forcing Gattuso to shuffle in wide areas and central midfield.
Venezia typically set up in a 3-5-2 that relies on aggressive high pressing and man marking but without Busio's energy in midfield the press may lack coordination and leave spaces behind the wing backs that Lazio's quick transitions will be happy to exploit. John Yeboah and Akor Adams depend on Simon Sohm winning second balls and progressing play, which is a lot to ask given Venezia's injury losses.
Lazio's 4-3-3 is built around the same high pressing idea, switching rapidly from defence to attack once the ball is won. Zaccagni operates from the left and will test Venezia's right sided defenders, while Frattesi arrives late into the box and Marusic's absence, though it reduces Lazio's width on the right, does little to blunt that threat centrally. Venezia's man marking will likely come unstuck when Frattesi drops deep to create overloads in the channels and the visitors' ability to win the ball high and transition quickly is probably what decides this.
Venezia's vulnerability at set pieces has contributed to several of their 11 goals conceded and Lazio rank among the better sides in the division at winning headers in the opposition box. Gattuso's setup also means aggressive pressing from restarts rather than passive defending, which compounds Stroppa's problems further. Venezia will need to be far more organised than they have looked so far to manufacture counter attacking moments and given how this season has gone, that is asking quite a lot.
Venezia 1-2 Lazio. Gattuso's pressing and quick transitions should expose the gaps left by Venezia's injuries and their record of 11 goals conceded in four games and while Yeboah or Adams are good enough to grab something on the counter, the balance of this match sits firmly with the visitors.
Ryan Baldi
Football Writer
Ryan Baldi is a professional football writer with years of experience and has been featured by respected outlets such as the BBC, The Guardian, Sky Sports, DAZN, FourFourTwo, ESPN, Yahoo Sport and Football365. He has also written several books including Arsène Who?.
