Siena vs Lazio preview - Petkovic wants to end Siena hoodoo
Posted Monday, February 18, 2013 by PA
Head coach Vladimir Petkovic plans to debunk the theory that Lazio are incapable of winning at Siena when the two sides meet in Tuscany.
The Biancocelesti have failed to win at the Stadio Artemio Franchi since April 2006 and have taken only two points from five subsequent visits, leaving Petkovic determined to break the run.
Ending that hoodoo is secondary to Lazio's main mission, though, as the capital club look to recover lost ground in the race for the Serie A title.
Referring to his side's poor record at Siena, Petkovic told La Repubblica: "It's just one more thing to look out for as we try to take the right approach and give 120 per cent effort.
"We are getting back to the team we were a little while ago."
Lazio must rediscover their early season form without injured star striker Miroslav Klose, with recent signing Louis Saha tipped to make his full debut in the German's place.
"We've lost certain components of our game but there are lot of others that we need to make the most of," Petkovic added.
"To be a great team we have to respond well to setbacks. We wanted to get on the bicycle, so now we have to pedal."
Captain and midfielder Stefano Mauri is also injured with striker Cristian Brocchi on the treatment table as midfielder Cristian Ledesma serves a one-match ban.
Siena would move off the bottom and up to 18th place with victory over Lazio and head coach Giuseppe Iachini is optimistic, having overseen wins over Sampdoria and Inter Milan in recent weeks.
He told acsiena.it: "We are facing a team that has been consistently at the top of Italian football over recent years.
"But we can continue our recent improvement and we are better for the changes we made in January.
"We are getting tighter and tighter and the performance levels have always been good even when we've not got the results.
"I repeat, we are starting to see an organised team that shows great personality in games."
Midfielder Angelo is Iachini's only real injury concern with on-loan Samp striker Nicola Pozzi likely to earn a place on the bench.
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