- 1 Lazio vs Mantova: Gattuso’s first game kicks off the Coppa Italia
- 2 Lazio: five warm-up wins and an attack still to settle
- 3 Mantova: a Serie B newcomer gets a first look at the Olimpico
- 4 Football Prediction Lazio vs Mantova
- 5 First, a word on our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
- 7 Information changes
- 8 Your role
- 9 Responsible gambling first
- 10 Legal age
- 11 About the visuals…
Lazio vs Mantova: Gattuso’s first game kicks off the Coppa Italia 
Lazio begin their 2026-27 season on Sunday night at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome, facing Mantova in the first round of the Coppa Italia. Kick-off is set for 21:15.
It is also Gennaro Gattuso’s first official match in charge of the Biancocelesti. The former Italy boss has walked into a side rattled by Maurizio Sarri’s messy exit and a boycott from part of the fanbase.
The mood in Rome is hardly calm. Ninth in Serie A last season, they enter the competition at the preliminary round, even though they were in the final just three months ago.
That 2025-26 run had real bite: AC Milan were knocked out in the last 16, then holders Bologna and Atalanta were dumped out on penalties. The dream ended with a 2-0 defeat to Inter at the Olimpico, leaving them one trophy short again.
Mantova arrive from a very different place. Ninth in Serie B, the Lombardy club have never won the Coppa Italia and have gone out in the first round in each of the last two seasons.
Whoever wins this tie will meet Palermo or Lecce next. Lazio, seven-time winners, have far more history in this competition than their visitors.
The game is being shown free-to-air in Italy on Italia 1, which says plenty about the expectation around Gattuso’s first official outing.
The winner of this first-round tie will face Palermo or Lecce next. A kind draw that gives Lazio a clear path toward the knockout stages.
Lazio: five warm-up wins and an attack still to settle 
Gattuso has made a clean start in results terms. Five friendlies, five wins, including a 2-1 victory over Serie A newcomers Frosinone.
That final test was settled by a Mattia Zaccagni double. A useful sign for a squad looking for stability after a season without Europe.
Tight finances have kept business limited. Alfonso Pedraza and Danilho Doekhi arrived this summer and could both feature on Sunday.
There have been notable exits too. Mario Gila has gone to Milan, Ivan Provedel to Inter. Christos Mandas, back from loan at Bournemouth, is set to take over in goal.
As for injuries, Gustav Isaksen and Danilo Cataldi are doubts, while Luca Pellegrini (ankle) and Patric (fitness) are expected to miss out. Up front, Boulaye Dia, Tijjani Noslin and Petar Ratkov are fighting for the central role in what looks like a likely 4-3-3, with the Serb getting the nod after scoring six in pre-season.
This is Lazio’s second straight season without European football. While Roma are in the Champions League, Lazio have only the league and the domestic cup to focus on.
That lack of midweek travel gives Gattuso proper time on the training ground. It also makes the Coppa Italia more important than usual if Lazio want to bring silverware back to the Olimpico.
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Mantova: a Serie B newcomer gets a first look at the Olimpico 
Mantova’s recent Coppa Italia record fits on a postcard. Two first-round exits in 2024 and 2025, including a 4-0 beating by Venezia at this same stage last year.
Their league season went better. Francesco Modesto’s side finished ninth in Serie B, a few places off the play-offs.
Pre-season followed a downward slope. Three comfortable wins to open, then a 1-0 loss to Carpi in their final warm-up.
The attack leans on Ettore Gliozzi, signed this summer after finishing as Modena’s top scorer in Serie B last season. He will be asked to test a reshaped Roman defence.
Playmaker Davide Bragantini has only just returned to training, leaving Modesto with almost a full squad, subject to Bodin Tomasevic’s recovery. The Biancorossi then start their league campaign away to Carrarese.
The Lombardy club have never lifted the Coppa Italia. Compared with Lazio’s seven trophies, the gap between the two clubs is obvious enough.
Modesto also comes into this trip only a few days before the league season begins. His side will open their Serie B campaign at Carrarese next week.
Expected Lazio XI: Mandas ; Lazzari, Doekhi, Provstgaard, Pedraza ; Dele-Bashiru, Rovella, Taylor ; Cancellieri, Ratkov, Zaccagni
Expected Mantova XI: Bardi ; Meroni, Castellini, Cella ; Radaelli, Trimboli, Ignacchiti, Benaissa ; Bragantini, Ilie ; Gliozzi
Football Prediction Lazio vs Mantova
Our prediction: Lazio to win with a -1.5 handicap
The gap in division is matched by a gap in form. Lazio won all five of their pre-season games, while Mantova lost their final test against Carpi, a side from Italy’s third tier.
Last year’s evidence is hard to ignore: Mantova shipped four goals straight away against Venezia at this same stage. Against a Ratkov in form and a Zaccagni who scored twice last week, Lazio’s edge should show on the scoreboard.
Gattuso also has every reason to make his home debut count in a tense atmosphere. The call here is for Lazio to win by at least two goals.
One more factor points the same way: Alfonso Pedraza and Danilho Doekhi, the two summer arrivals, are likely to start so they can settle in quickly. Gattuso has enough depth to rotate without weakening the side.
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