Venezia are back in Serie A and it is already looking ugly. Eleven goals conceded in the league, another four in the cup, and most of them arriving inside the final half-hour — that is not bad luck, that is a side that fades physically and switches off mentally when the game stretches. Giovanni Stroppa's men have zero points on the board and a fixture list that reads like a punishment: Lazio at the Penzo, then Atalanta in Bergamo, then Napoli at home. The Lagunari were crowned Serie B champions in May, but the step up has been brutal. They are a yo-yo club in every sense, and right now the string is fraying.

Lazio arrive with a point to prove after a shock 0-2 Coppa Italia defeat to Mantova. That result stings, but it also sharpens the focus. Gennaro Gattuso does not tolerate sloppiness twice in a row, and the Aquile have the attacking depth to punish a defence that has been leaking goals for fun. The visitors are clear favourites for a reason, and the recent head-to-head context backs that up: every previous read on this fixture has landed on the same side.