Bad news for Lazio as Nuno Tavares has picked up an injury just before their game against Udinese. According to reports, the Portuguese left-back felt discomfort after training and is likely to miss the match against Udinese as a precaution. The club wants to avoid a longer absence at this crucial point in the season.
Tavares completed the entire training session with his teammates yesterday, but afterwards, he experienced muscle discomfort, raising concerns at the club. After playing six consecutive games due to injuries and unavailability of other players, Tavares is facing his usual issues with physical consistency, which tend to worsen during periods of high physical stress. It’s expected that he will not even be on the bench for tonight’s game, unless there’s a last-minute change of mind.
Lazzari will replace Tavares, with Marusic moving to the left side of defense. This is the only available option, as Hysaj is not expected back before the end of March. There is also no indication that Pellegrini will be reintegrated into the team soon. For the Europa Conference League return leg against Viktoria Plzen on Thursday, the coach hopes Tavares will recover in time. Otherwise, the same defense lineup will likely be used as today.