Lazio’s push to carry their surprise form into November will be shaped by the treatment room as much as by Sunday’s meeting with Juventus. Gennaro Gattuso is waiting for several players to return, but Albert Gudmundsson’s absence has become the clearest setback: the Iceland international is not expected back before the November international break.
Quick facts
- Gudmundsson is likely to miss every October fixture and the opening matches of November.
- Matteo Cancellieri is expected to return against Juventus, initially among the substitutes.
- Gustav Isaksen, who scored after starting against Monza, is set to keep his place versus Juventus.
- Danilo Cataldi has recovered but needs match minutes after a difficult summer.
- Nicolò Rovella and Adam Marusic are targeting Parma rather than Juventus.
- Lazio’s final match before the November break is away to Napoli.
Gudmundsson was injured while away on international duty, falling onto his left arm. What was initially viewed as a more manageable problem has proved more serious, with the player still wearing a brace and continuing to feel pain.
Gattuso had hoped for a quicker recovery, but the prospect now is that Gudmundsson will only become available after the next pause in the calendar. Lazio will have to negotiate the whole of October, plus the first part of November, without him unless there is an unexpected improvement.
Cancellieri offers a more immediate piece of good news. He should be back in the squad for Juventus on Sunday, although his return is expected to begin from the bench.
His situation has intertwined with Isaksen’s over the past year, as each has found an opening when the other has been unavailable. The Danish winger took his chance against Monza, scoring after being selected from the start, and is due to begin again against Juventus.
Cataldi has already been named among the substitutes for several matches, but he is still waiting for a sustained spell on the pitch. After an interrupted summer and another stop in his preparation, he is fit again and available for selection.
Rovella’s path remains less straightforward. The midfielder has dealt with recurring physical issues for around a year and is trying to make Parma his return date.
Marusic is working towards the same target. The Montenegro defender had been cleared to push his recovery after a muscle strain, only to stop again immediately; he has been out since late August and will not be rushed with Juventus approaching too quickly.
Gattuso sees the returning players as essential not simply for numbers, but for managing matches more effectively. A fuller group would allow him to plan changes between halves and use substitutions to address the differences Lazio have shown from one period of games to another.
The coach has reminded his squad that five substitutions have changed the demands of the modern game. Cataldi, he said, is already recovered and his selections remain his responsibility, while every player should use time on the bench to study the opposition rather than show frustration.
Gattuso’s wider message before Juventus is one of courage. He wants Lazio to play at full intensity and believes they must not be afraid if they are to keep exceeding expectations.
The coming stretch therefore has a broader significance than one Sunday afternoon. Lazio must collect as many points as possible from Juventus through to the trip to Napoli, their last match before the November international break, while waiting for the injury list at Formello to finally shorten.
