Venezia vs Lazio: Venezia Search for a First Point as Lazio Bring an Unbeaten Start to the Penzo

The early Serie A table gives this meeting a very clear backdrop, but the football behind the numbers is more interesting. Venezia arrive at the Penzo still without a point after four league matches, while Lazio have collected 10 points and remain unbeaten after opening the campaign with three victories and a draw. The visitors also come off a 2-2 draw with Milan in which they led by two goals before the Rossoneri recovered, leaving Gennaro Gattuso’s side with an immediate opportunity to respond. Venezia, meanwhile, have lost their opening four league games despite scoring five goals, making defensive concentration and game management central issues for Giovanni Stroppa.
Stroppa has openly acknowledged that his team need to turn their performances into points, while also stressing that the squad continues to work positively despite the difficult position.
The Venezia coach described Lazio as one of the league’s strongest current sides and highlighted the importance of taking control of the decisive moments.
For Lazio, the challenge is different: maintain the intensity that produced 10 points from the opening four matches without allowing the previous week’s dropped lead to disrupt their rhythm.
The setting at the Penzo gives Venezia a chance to make the contest uncomfortable from the beginning.
That makes the opening exchanges particularly significant before either side settles into its preferred structure.

Venezia’s preparations have been affected by a number of absences, with captain Gianluca Busio the most significant recent loss. The club confirmed that examinations after the Fiorentina match revealed an intratendinous strain of the right biceps femoris, and Busio has begun rehabilitation. He is therefore unavailable for this fixture.
The latest availability information also lists Marin Šverko, Andrea Adorante, Bartol Franjić, Matteo Dagasso, Armel Bella-Kotchap, Toma Bašić and Ridgeciano Haps among the unavailable Venezia players.
That particularly affects the midfield and defensive options available to Stroppa, although the club’s official squad list confirms that Matías Moreno is available for selection after being absent from some earlier predictions.
Lazio’s current unavailable group is smaller, with Adam Marušić, Nicolò Rovella and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru listed as absent for the trip.
At the same time, Danilho Doekhi has been included in Lazio’s official travelling squad, following the hand issue that had made his availability a talking point during the build-up.

The tactical contrast is likely to centre on Venezia’s 3-5-2 against Lazio’s 4-3-3. Stroppa’s structure gives his team three central defenders and a five-man midfield line, with the wing-backs responsible for creating width and helping the side compete centrally. The latest projected lineup places Filip Stankovic behind Joël Schingtienne, Redouane Halhal and Ridgeciano Haps in the defensive unit, although Haps’ current availability status has since been listed as out, making Matías Moreno an important selection consideration.
Lazio are expected to keep the 4-3-3 that Gattuso has used during the opening weeks, with Frattesi, Belahyane and Kenneth Taylor forming the midfield trio in the latest projected XI.
Mattia Zaccagni remains an important attacking reference on the left, while Matteo Cancellieri has been projected on the opposite flank.
The main attacking selection question has been whether Tijjani Noslin or Andrea Pinamonti leads the line, with current reporting giving attention to that competition.
For Venezia, the Yeboah-Adams pairing offers a direct attacking option capable of stretching the Lazio defensive line.
The battle between Venezia’s wing-back movement and Lazio’s wide attackers could therefore shape how much territory each side controls.

The pre-match conversation has consequently been less about one isolated tactical adjustment and more about whether Venezia can finally convert competitive performances into a result against a Lazio side that has already shown both attacking quality and resilience. Stroppa has said that he believes his squad is competitive and that the players cannot be criticised for their effort or performances, while stressing that the team must improve its ability to influence the decisive episodes.
Lazio’s own squad announcement confirms that Gattuso has a 23-player travelling group for the match, including Doekhi, Lazzari, Pedraza, Isaksen, Gudmundsson, Noslin, Pinamonti and Zaccagni.
The fixture also carries a historical angle: Venezia have not beaten Lazio in their last seven Serie A meetings, with the most recent encounter at the Penzo ending 0-0 in February 2025.
That history does not determine Saturday’s contest, but it provides additional context to a match in which Venezia urgently need a change in their league trajectory.
Lazio, meanwhile, have the chance to protect their unbeaten beginning and maintain their position near the top of the early standings.
The story before kickoff is therefore about contrasting pressures rather than a predetermined outcome: Venezia need points, while Lazio need to keep their early-season standards intact.

🚑 The Latest Medical & Availability File

Venezia

Venezia — Current Injury Absences
Long-Term / IR	Bartol Franjić	Injury absence
Out / Ruled Out	Marin Šverko	Hip injury
Out / Ruled Out	Andrea Adorante	Hernia
Out / Ruled Out	Gianluca Busio	Right biceps femoris intratendinous strain
Out / Ruled Out	Armel Bella-Kotchap	Injury absence
Out / Ruled Out	Matteo Dagasso	Unavailable
Questionable	Toma Bašić	Foot problem
Questionable	Ridgeciano Haps	Injury concern

Venezia’s official medical update specifically confirms Busio’s right biceps femoris injury, while the latest squad-availability reporting lists the other absences above. The club’s official 25-player call-up does not include Šverko, Adorante, Franjić, Bella-Kotchap, Busio or Dagasso, corroborating their absence from the matchday group.

Lazio

Lazio — Current Injury Absences
Long-Term / IR	Nicolò Rovella	Injury absence
Out / Ruled Out	Adam Marušić	Muscle injury
Out / Ruled Out	Fisayo Dele-Bashiru	Injury absence

The latest Serie A availability report lists Marušić, Rovella and Dele-Bashiru among Lazio’s unavailable players. Lazio’s official squad announcement confirms that none of the three is included in the travelling group, while Doekhi is included despite his recent hand issue.

📋 Projected Matchday Elevens

The starting XIs had not yet been officially announced at the time of the latest pre-match reports, so the following tables are projected lineups rather than confirmed teams. They are based on the latest available Serie A lineup reporting and current squad availability.

Venezia — 3-5-2

Venezia — Projected XI
Goalkeeper	Filip Stanković	Goalkeeper
Defence	Joël Schingtienne	Right-sided centre-back
Defence	Matías Moreno	Centre-back
Defence	Redouane Halhal	Left-sided centre-back
Midfield	Antoine Hainaut	Wing-back
Midfield	Kike Pérez	Central midfield
Midfield	Thórir Jóhann Helgason	Central midfield
Midfield	Simon Sohm	Central midfield
Midfield	Richie Sagrado	Wing-back
Attack	John Yeboah	Forward
Attack	Akor Adams	Centre-forward

Lazio — 4-3-3

Lazio — Projected XI
Goalkeeper	Christos Mandas	Goalkeeper
Defence	Romano Floriani Mussolini	Right-back
Defence	Josip Šutalo	Centre-back
Defence	Oliver Provstgaard	Centre-back
Defence	Nuno Tavares	Left-back
Midfield	Davide Frattesi	Central midfield
Midfield	Reda Belahyane	Central midfield
Midfield	Kenneth Taylor	Central midfield
Attack	Matteo Cancellieri	Right wing
Attack	Tijjani Noslin	Centre-forward
Attack	Mattia Zaccagni	Left wing

⭐ Personnel Notes That Could Shift the Game

Venezia — Key Personnel
Attack	Akor Adams	Central attacking reference in Stroppa’s 3-5-2
Attack	John Yeboah	Provides pace and movement alongside Adams
Midfield	Kike Pérez	Important central midfielder in the projected structure

Lazio — Key Personnel
Attack	Mattia Zaccagni	Left-sided attacking outlet and captain
Midfield	Davide Frattesi	Midfield runner capable of arriving beyond the forward line
Attack	Matteo Cancellieri	Projected right-sided attacker in Gattuso’s 4-3-3

• Venezia are still searching for their first Serie A point of the campaign.
• Lazio enter the match unbeaten with 10 points from their opening four league games.
• Gianluca Busio is definitely absent after Venezia confirmed his right biceps femoris injury.
• Lazio’s official travelling squad includes Danilho Doekhi despite his recent hand problem.
• The latest lineup reporting points to Venezia’s 3-5-2 against Lazio’s 4-3-3.

🗞️ The Story Emerging From the Pre-Kickoff Coverage

The reporting around the fixture has focused heavily on the contrasting league positions, Venezia’s need to turn performances into points and Lazio’s opportunity to continue an unbeaten beginning. Stroppa has publicly recognised Lazio’s current level while insisting that Venezia must remain confident and improve the way they handle decisive moments. Lazio’s preparation has centred on preserving the structure that has produced 10 points, with the main selection question involving the attacking role between Noslin and Pinamonti.

🔄 Variation Rule: The Article Follows the Selection Pressure

This preview deliberately changes the usual injury-first structure by beginning with the contrasting season situations, then moving through Venezia’s squad disruption, the tactical formations and finally the wider pre-match discussion. The lineup section is explicitly projected because official starting XIs were not yet published in the latest available information; no predicted selection is presented as confirmed.

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