Lazio v Inter Milan Champions League Playoff Betting Tips

Chloe Beresford

May 18th, 2018

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This weekend’s final-day clash between Lazio and Inter is undoubtedly Serie A betting enthusiats' most interesting and high-stakes match, as the two sides approach a winner-takes-all game with a place in next year’s Champions League at stake. The home side currently sit in the remaining Champions League spot, three points ahead of Inter, meaning that this final fixture effectively becomes a one-off contest with the winner receiving the highly-coveted prize.

If the duo finish even on points, the head-to-head record between will be taken into account before goal difference, however the matchup earlier this season finished 0-0, leaving everything to play for on the night. According to Italy’s dedicated sports newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, the winner of Sunday evening’s clash between the pair is set to earn in the region of €40 million, ramping the tension up even higher and making things much more difficult for football betting fans to predict.

Lazio could’ve had the place sewn up last weekend as the Nerazzurri lost 2-1 at home to Sassuolo, however Simone Inzaghi’s men could only draw 2-2 with relegation-threatened Crotone, thanks to a late equaliser from star midfielder Sergej Milinkovic-Savic. Doubts remain whether Biancocelesti centre-back Stefan De Vrij will feature, the out of contract Dutchman having already signed a pre-contract agreement with Inter for next season.

Both Sides Will Swing Hard for Win

Inter must win this match in order to reach the Champions League next term, leaving Luciano Spalletti’s men with no choice but to attack. This means that they could be left open to conceding on the break, especially as Lazio are so strong going forward on the counter. The Nerazzurri are likely to start strong but do have a propensity to crumble under pressure. A bet on the home side to win from behind would certainly be worth a look, with this shown as 10.5 by 888sport.

The Biancocelesti are unbeaten in the last 10 matches, whereas their opponents have stumbled in the latter part of the campaign. The San Siro outfit have lost three of their last seven games, as many as in their previous 30. Only one of the last six matches between these teams has ended in a draw (three wins for Lazio and two for Inter), while there hasn’t been a draw between the two at Stadio Olimpico since March 2008.With this in mind, it would be worth backing one or the other to win with Bet365 offering 6/4 on Lazio or 7/4 on Inter.

Cards for Everybody?

History suggests this is always a bad-tempered affair, with 30 yellow cards and seven red cards in the last six matchups between these sides. Almost exactly one year ago, Lazio had both Senad Lulic and Keita Balde Diao sent off in the corresponding fixture, as Inter went on to win 3-1.

Adding in the tension created by what is at stake in this Sunday’s game, a bet on a high number of cards is a good one to make. You can do this at 5/6 via Bet365, certainly a good shout on what is likely to be a hotly-contested fixture.

€100m Man Could Find the Net

Highly sought-after in the transfer market and heading to the World Cup with Serbia this summer, €100 million-rated Sergej Milinkovic-Savic is in great goalscoring form. His late strike rescued a point versus Crotone last weekend, making a total of three in his last four matches. Karamba are offering 39/4 for the talented midfielder to score first or last and 29/10 to fire in anytime.

The capital club may have been boosted by the early return from injury of Ciro Immobile, a man who currently leads Inter striker Mauro Icardi by just one goal in the top scorer standings, having fired in 29 times in the league this season. The latter will undoubtedly be desperate to score as many as possible in this final match, therefore it may be worth looking at some of the top football betting sites who offer 4/6 on the Argentine to find the net in this all-important clash.