- Lazio have won their last five pre-season games.
- Mantova finished mid-table in Serie B last season and have prepared well for the new campaign.
- SS Lazio are undefeated in their two competitive head-to-head matches in the 1960s, winning 2-0 (1963) and 1-0 (1967).
Lazio should have too much for lower-tier Mantova
Lazio are the clear favourites for their Coppa Italia 2026-2027 clash with Serie B's Mantova this Sunday, but Francesco Modesto's men have also prepared for the season well and should be in good nick for the one-off knockout clash at the Stadio Olimpico.
The odds tell the story here with Lazio at 1.31, Mantova at 9.05 and the draw at 4.8, but a more interesting angle has to be taken in the both teams to score market where 'no' at 1.73 is the obvious selection.
Gennaro Gattuso has brought an intensity and verticality to Lazio that was a little missing last season when they finished 9th in Serie A on 54 points. His preferred 4-2-3-1 or 4-3-4 is built around a compact, energetic structure that transitions quickly between defense and attack with pressing. The Biancocelesti should be on the front foot in this game against a side one division below them while Mantova will look to soak up pressure and hit their opponents on the break.
Biancocelesti’s attacking talent will be key
Boulaye Dia and Fisayo Dele-Bashiru give Lazio an extra bite in the centre of the park, although Gattuso is not short of rotation options elsewhere in his team. Tijjani Noslin can be a sparky player on the wing and came through with three goals and four assists in 25 starts in 2025/26, while Mattia Zaccagni, their main creative outlet in the final third, is capable of unlocking defenses on his own.
Mantova finished in the mid-table section of Serie B in 2025/26 on around 46 points, so they are right to go into this cup tie as outsiders. Francesco Ruocco was their main man last term and he is their standout threat for this game if the pre-season reports are to be believed. Leonardo Mancuso, Tommaso Marras and playmaker Rares Ilie give them some extra zip around Ruocco and they certainly can be dangerous on the counter-attack.
Modesto sets up in a more conservative manner than his opposite number and usually with three at the back. The Biancorossi are a well-organized and compact unit that will try to sit deep and hit on the attack in the right moments. They won some eye-catching friendlies in the summer and scored four against Verona, so they look capable of scoring on Sunday, but are likely to come up short.
