Riddled with inconsistencies so far, Lazio will try to pick up back-to-back wins for just the second time this season when they welcome Frosinone to Stadio Olimpico on Friday evening.
The Eagles sit only five places above their visitors in the Serie A table, just shy of the halfway stage, while they are six points off the top five spots.
Match preview
Lazio put up a clinical performance three days before Christmas, with goals from Matteo Guendouzi and Mattia Zaccagni sealing a 2-0 win, their first in four games across all competitions.
In a season full of inconsistency from Maurizio Sarri's men, they currently sit in ninth place in the table with 24 points, six points off the automatic European spots.
The Eagles have struggled at both ends of the pitch this season, scoring 18 goals and conceding 18 - the last time they recorded a zero or negative goal difference at this stage was in 2015-16, when they finished eighth.
After losing 2-0 to Inter in their last home match, which saw their six-game streak at home come to an end, Lazio are aiming to avoid consecutive league defeats in front of their home fans for the first time since December 2020 under Simone Inzaghi.
However, their recent results against newly-promoted teams have been poor, losing two of their last six league meetings against these sides, which is as many defeats as they had in the previous 46 such matches.
With three wins and a draw in four league meetings, Sarri will be hoping his side can extend their dominance over Frosinone as they look to record consecutive league wins for the first time since October.
Frosinone, on the other hand, could not replicate the performance they had against Napoli in the Coppa Italia, as they lost 2-1 to Juventus in the league last time out.
The Canaries have not won a Serie A match this month, recording a draw and three defeats, which saw them slip to 14th in the table with 19 points, six points more than 18th-placed Cagliari.
While they have been solid at home, Eusebio Di Francesco's side have been poor on the road this season, as they remain one of the four Serie A teams without an away win so far, recording two draws and four defeats on their trips.
The closest Di Francesco's team have been to maximum points on their travels was the damaging 4-3 loss to fellow new boys Cagliari in October, a game that saw the visitors blow a 3-0 lead in the fixture's concluding 20 minutes.
Having failed to win any of their top-flight meetings with Lazio in the past - without scoring a goal - history is not on their side in this match either.
Team News
Lazio will be without their top scorer, Ciro Immobile, who is recovering from a hamstring injury, while Luis Alberto is also sidelined with a groin injury.
Valentin Castellanos and Daichi Kamada are expected to replace them in the starting lineup against Frosinone.
Meanwhile, Frosinone are without the services of Anthony Oyono and Riccardo Marchizza, who are both suffering from thigh injuries, while Real Madrid prospect Reinier is also recovering from a muscle injury.
Pol Lirola, Jaime Baez, who scored against Juventus last time out, and Sergio Kalaj will all have to pass late fitness tests to feature in this match.
Kaio Jorge, on loan from Juventus, has scored just once in the league this season but is expected to lead the line once again this weekend.
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Hysaj, Casale, Gila, Marusic; Guendouzi, Luis Alberto, Kamada; Felipe Anderson, Castellanos, Zaccagni
Frosinone possible starting lineup:
Turati; Monterisi, Romagnoli, Okoli, Garritano; Brescianini, Barrenechea, Mazzitelli; Soule, Jorge, Caso
We say: Lazio 2-1 Frosinone
Lazio's inconsistency means while they may be favourites for this one, it could be a much closer outing than Sarri would prefer.
The visitors Frosinone are in the midst of a rut though, so this will be a tough task, especially because they have been poor on the road this season.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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