Lazio must end a run of six straight draws in Serie A at the Stadio Olimpico in Sunday’s final against Lecce to have a chance of playing in next season’s Champions League. The capital club will take on a relegation-threatened opponent who ended a 13-match winless run in their last match against Torino heading into the final top-flight clash of the season, with Lupi just outside the bottom three thanks to a better head-to-head record against Empoli.

While Lazio have been the goalscoring force in recent weeks, results at the Stadio Olimpico have dampened the Biancocelesti’s ambitions to compete for Champions League football next season. Marco Baroni’s side have one win in front of fans in the 2025 campaign – a 5-1 win over relegated Monza in February – but have drawn seven of their nine games so far this year and have failed to keep a clean sheet in those nine. With these performances, Baroni's team currently sits in sixth place with 65 points, one point behind Eternal City rivals Roma and two points behind fourth-placed Juventus, who occupy the last Champions League spot.

This scenario means that Juventus needs to take maximum points, while the Old Lady and Claudio Ranieri's team must lose on the final day, even if such a result could affect the Turin club, who have not won any of their last five away games in Serie A before visiting Venice on Sunday. However, Roma's form suggests that Baroni's team will face a tough challenge to surpass these two clubs and secure fourth place. The capital side equalized late in home games against Parma and Juventus, and again in their last game against Inter Milan, to stay in contention for Champions League qualification. Unless they break their record of six consecutive draws at the Stadio Olimpico and both Juventus and Roma make mistakes, Aquilotti may have to play in the English Football Association next season.

This weekend's game against Lecce will be a tough test as the Salentini are desperate to avoid relegation and extend their three-year league campaign. Marco Giampaolo's side ended a four-month wait for top-flight points with a 1-0 win over Torino on Sunday. The win over Torino was also the Lupi's first home win since mid-December and they will now aim for their first consecutive Serie A wins since beating Empoli (1-0) and Sassuolo (3-0) in April 2024.

To achieve that, the side with the fourth-worst away record and the second-most losses in 18 away games (11) will have to show a different side to avoid falling into the bottom three. With Giampaolo's side ahead of Empoli in the head-to-head record, Wolves will have to equal the Tuscan side's record and hope Venice doesn't give Juventus a surprise relegation on the final day.

Lazio predicted starting lineup:

Mandas, Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Guendouzi, Rovira; Isaksson, Becino, Zaccani; Castellanos

Lecce predicted starting lineup:

Falcone; Gilbert, Gaspar, Basciruto, Gallo; Koulibaly, Ramadani, Helgason; Pierotti, Korstovich, Endri