High-flying Lazio boss Gattuso grateful for second chance after Italy shortcomings

Gennaro Gattuso is grateful to Lazio for giving him the chance to rebuild his coaching career after failing to lead Italy to the World Cup, with the Biancocelesti flying high in Serie A.

Going into matchday 10, Lazio are only behind Scudetto holders Inter on goal difference at the top of the table, having amassed 25 points already (W8 D1).

Lazio have won their last five Serie A matches – the last time they recorded six straight wins in the competition was in February 2021, when the sixth victory came at the Stadio Olimpico against Cagliari. 

Furthermore, following an eye-catching 6-2 win over Sassuolo in midweek, Lazio have netted 22 goals in Serie A this season. 

On only three occasions in their history have they scored more goals after their first 10 games in the competition, in 1942-43 (24), 1999-00 (24) and 2017-18 (26).

Lazio's success at the start of 2026-27 is a far cry from the miserable stint Gattuso endured in charge of his country, with the Azzurri losing to Bosnia-Herzegovina in a World Cup qualification play-off in March.

Asked how he looked back on his time in charge of Italy, Gattuso said: "Football is made up of incidents, and they went against us that day, but the great thing about this sport is it gives you another opportunity. 

"The important thing is to learn and improve, not get down. I am fortunate to have support from friends and family, including a wife of 30 years, she was always there during my toughest moments."

And despite Lazio's tremendous start to the campaign, Gattuso is refusing to get carried away.

"Our target is 40 points. I am not used to seeing the table like this, but we have a road ahead of us and we need to be prepared," he said. 

"What I can say is that if we play with enthusiasm, it's better. There are 29 games to go, a lot of points up for grabs, then we'll see where we end up."

The Biancocelesti's visitors on Sunday, Cagliari, are 10th in the table with 13 points, having played another game at the Stadio Olimpico earlier this week.

They were beaten 4-2 by Roma on Tuesday, having gone 1-0 up and later pegged the Giallorossi back to 2-2, only to concede late goals to Rodrigo Mora and Donyell Malen.

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lazio – Mattia Zaccagni

Besides his two goals, Lazio's Zaccagni has provided five assists in the first nine matchdays of the 2026-27 Serie A season. 

He has only provided six in two Serie A seasons: in 2022-23 and 2024-25, with Lazio on both occasions.

Cagliari – Daniel Maldini

Maldini, who scored two goals in 12 appearances last season in Serie A with Lazio, has netted five goals in his first nine appearances for Cagliari in the competition. 

Only two players have registered more goals in their first ten games for the Rossoblu in the three-points-for-a-win era: Roberto Muzzi (seven) and Mauricio Pinilla (seven).

MATCH PREDICTION – LAZIO WIN

Lazio have not lost any of their last 22 Serie A matches against Cagliari (W18 D4); this is their longest unbeaten run against a single opponent in the competition.

At home, the Biancocelesti have won 13 of their last 14 league games against Cagliari (D1), netting 31 goals in the process at an average of 2.2 per match.

Since the start of 2010-11, no other team have lost to Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico that often.

Lazio have also scored two or more goals in each of their last seven Serie A matches. Only twice in their history have they netted more than one goal in at least eight consecutive top-flight games: in January 1937 (eight, under Jozsef Violak) and in January 2020 (12, with Simone Inzaghi as manager).

Only Barcelona (19.1%) and Marseille (17.4%) have a higher shot conversion rate than Lazio (17.3%) in Europe's big five leagues this season. This is also the highest recorded by a single club in Serie A across the last 20 seasons, surpassing Lazio's own record in 2021-22 (17%).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Lazio – 63.1%

Cagliari – 16.7%

Draw – 20.2%