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Crunching the numbers ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo’s clash with Lazio

As fears of a disappointing season continue to loom at Juventus, their heroic Portuguese talisman will look to inspire a crucial victory against Lazio in Turin this weekend.

Cristiano Ronaldo left Verona a frustrated man on Saturday, as a shaky Juventus side failed to hold onto the lead gained through Ronaldo's opening goal and were held to a stalemate by ninth-placed Hellas Verona, as pressure continues to mount on head coach Andrea Pirlo.
The Old Lady have won just one game in their last five across all competitions - including a notable away loss to Napoli and a calamitous collapse against Porto in the first leg of their Champions League match - as the Serie A title slips further from their reach.
Irrespective of the turbulent time in Turin at the moment, on a personal level Ronaldo has continued the clinical form that made him a must-buy for the reigning Italian champions, scoring his 19th league goal and his 26th in just 29 games this season.
As Pirlo's side continue to stall in their determined pursuit of both AC and Inter Milan, their star player continues to edge the individual race for the Serie A golden boot, sitting one goal clear of the clinical Romelu Lukaku.
Turning our attention to the weekend, Juventus' recent tricky run of fixtures will not conclude on Saturday, when they host a resolute Lazio team, who have been a thorn in the side of many high-flying outfits so far this season.
Despite falling off in their challenge for a Champions League place, I Biancocelesti sit seventh in the league table. They boast an impressive record against the six sides bettering them, having beaten Atalanta, Roma, Napoli and AC Milan, whilst holding league leaders, Inter Milan and Juve themselves to score draws earlier this season.
Since the dawn of the new year however, the Rome outfit have struggled to replicate the same form from earlier in the season that saw them sniffing around the top three, with just two wins in their last seven games it has been a difficult start to 2021 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Cristiano Ronaldo has a consistent scoring record against Inzaghi's side but hasn't always found himself on the winning team, can he restore Juve's confidence and inspire a much needed victory?
Let's crunch the numbers.

Stat attack

The Portuguese talisman's five goals and solitary assist in six games against I Biancocelesti leaves him with a more-than-respectable average of one goal contribution per game against them.
Ronaldo only boasts a win ratio of 50% against Simone Inzaghi's side, with three victories, one draw and two defeats against the Rome outfit, they have proven to be tough opponents for him in his short stint in Italy so far.
CR7 has never lost to Lazio at the Allianz Stadium with a 100% record of two wins in Turin, his two losses against them have come at the Stadio Olimpico and in the final of the Supercoppa Italiana in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, where he defiantly removed his silver medal in reaction to a disappointing 3-1 defeat.
Juventus have played Lazio the second-most (187) of any opponent in their history, with the Old Lady only playing Inter Milan more (227) - of these games, I Bianconeri have come out on top 95 times, with Lazio winning 46 and the two sides drawing on 43 occasions.
Andrea Pirlo's side have scored 320 goals against Lazio in total and conceded 207, can Ronaldo add to this tally at the weekend?
We've taken a look at his three best games against I Biancocelesti.

Memorable matches

Juventus 2-1 Lazio

Serie A

July 20, 2020

Adding another record to his decorated collection, Ronaldo became the first player in history to score 50 goals in the Premier League, La Liga and Serie A respectively as he scored an important brace to all but secure the league title for the Old Lady.
Opening the scoring in the 51st minute after a nervy first half, the Portuguese talisman held his nerve to convert from the penalty spot, before finishing Paolo Dybala's pass just three minutes later to put Juventus in the driving seat.
In the battle for the Serie A golden boot, Ronaldo's close competition in Ciro Immboile pulled a goal back for the visitors with a penalty of his own, levelling the two with 30 goals each as the extraordinary race rolled on.
The tally made Ronaldo only the third player in Juventus history to hit the 30-goal mark in a single Serie A season, as the Turin outfit went on to win their 36th league title and their ninth in a row.

Lazio 1-2 Juventus

Serie A

January 27, 2019

Completing a late comeback for Juventus in the Italian capital, Ronaldo ensured the reigning champions went 11 points clear as he converted an 88th-minute penalty to snatch all three points in the Stadio Olimpico.
After a torrid first half for the visitors, Lazio's domination continued into the second 45 and their persistence would pay off when they broke the deadlock through an Emre Can own goal.
Current Manchester City star Joao Cancelo brought his team back into the game with a rare goal off the bench, scoring just four minutes after coming on.
The Portuguese full-back also heavily influenced the late winner, winning the penalty for his compatriot Ronaldo to take, and CR7 made no mistake in converting to continue Juve's charge towards another title victory.

Lazio 1-1 Juventus

Serie A

November 8, 2020

In yet another spectacle at the Stadio Olimpico earlier this season, Ronaldo's first-half goal looked to have secured all three points for Juventus for all of 80 minutes, before late drama threw a spanner in the works.
Having made a bright start to the game, the spectacular striker gave the Old Lady the lead in the 15th minute when he poked in a low-driven Juan Cuadrado cross with his weaker left foot, to score his sixth goal in four games.
Luckily for Lazio, the prolific Portuguese attacker could have easily left the field with the match ball but couldn't add to his tally. Ronaldo rattled the crossbar with a venomous strike and saw his superb effort from a free-kick saved by Pepe Reina, as Juve were left to rue their missed chances.
As the game headed toward its dying moments, Lazio scored a dramatic late equaliser as the home faithful erupted in chaotic fashion, Felipe Caicedo finished a superb team move past Wojciech Szczesny as the hosts rescued a point completely against the run of play.

Tip of the fixture

Despite their recent poor run of form, Andrea Pirlo's side should have enough in the locker to oversee a comfortable victory.
Paddy Power are offering 7/4 odds on Juventus to be ahead at half-time and to see out the result at full-time.
(Odds correct at time of writing, subject to change).

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