Lazio and Udinese were scheduled to close the 34ª giornata of Serie A at the Olimpico with a 20.45 kick-off, and both clubs released their official starting elevens ahead of the final match of the round.
Maurizio Sarri confirmed Motta in goal for Lazio and set up a four-man defense anchored by Alessio Romagnoli and Victor Kristoffer Provstgaard. On the flanks he named Manuel Lazzari and Lorenzo Pellegrini, with Luka Basic, Patric and Steven Taylor in midfield. Lazio’s attack was led by Cancellieri, Dia and Noslin.
Kosta Runjaic replied for Udinese by choosing Okoye between the posts and selecting a back three of Andreas Kristensen, Christian Kabasele and Solet. Udinese’s midfield featured Atta, Piotrowski and Ekkelenkamp, with Ehizibue and Kamara deployed as wing-backs and Gueye paired with Zaniolo up front.
The official lists provide a clear view of how both coaches intend to shape the match: Lazio with a conventional four-man defensive block designed to protect the full width, and Udinese with a three-man spine and wing-backs aimed at stretching the play. The selections make the tactical contest — fullbacks and wing-backs, central defenders and the battle for midfield control — the defining feature before a ball is kicked.
This announcement lands after a prominent Coppa Italia night mentioned around Sarri, and the timing matters: managers often balance squad continuity with competition demands. The starting lineups offered here are the only confirmed account of who will carry the game; the report that named the elevens did not include match action or a final score, leaving the contest itself unwritten as fans head into the Olimpico.
The tension in the build-up is straightforward. Lazio’s deployment of Romagnoli and Provstgaard at the heart of a back four suggests Sarri wants a stable central partnership to counter Udinese’s forward pairing of Gueye and Zaniolo, yet Udinese’s back three and wing-backs present a different shape that can create overloads on the flanks. Which approach will impose itself is the practical contradiction here: a settled four-man defensive unit versus a mobile three with wing-backs — the answer will determine whether the coach who picked the starting XI gains the upper hand.
For followers of the match there is one clear, consequential unanswered question: will Sarri’s selection, confirmed after the Coppa Italia night and anchored by Motta in goal, translate into the desired control and result in Serie A tonight? That single outcome — whether the chosen eleven executes the plan at 20.45 — is the hinge that will decide how this fixture is remembered.
Readers seeking more on the mood in Rome and a related moment from earlier this series can find background in our match preview, Lazio Vs Udinese: Romagnoli’s late strike and a tense cup night set the scene in Rome, which set context for tonight’s starting choices.
