Nuno Tavares and Federico Dimarco will be going head-to-head to vie for left-wingback supremacy in today’s Serie A clash between Lazio and Inter Milan.
This is the view in today’s print edition of Rome-based newspaper Corriere dello Sport, via FCInterNews.
The wide areas are a key part of the systems of both Inter coach Simone Inzaghi and his Lazio counterpart Marco Baroni.
And each of the two coaches has one particular player who powers their respective team’s attack from that position.
Since both play on the left, they will not come up against each other directly.
But there is no doubt that this evening’s match will feel like a duel between them.
Nuno Tavares & Federico Dimarco Vie For Left-Wingback Supremacy In Lazio Vs Inter Clash
One of the real revelations of the season for Lazio has been the form of wingback Tavares.
The 24-year-old is currently on loan at the Biancocelesti from Arsenal.
And while Tavares has certainly shown flashes of his quality throughout his career to date, never the way he has this season.
The Portuguese has been a driving force up and down the left flank for Lazio.
Tavares has reaped the rewards for his incursions into the final third. He has made an eye-watering eight assists in Serie A.
That means that the Portuguese has a real chance of breaking Massimo Oddo’s record of thirteen assists from a defender in a single season, the 2005-06 campaign.
Unlike Tavares, Dimarco has already established himself as one of Serie A’s top wide players.
The 27-year-old has grown into a key part of Inter’s starting eleven.
Dimarco has not had quite as flashy a start to the season as Tavares. He has made four assists between Serie A and the Chmpions League.
Dimarco has, for his part, chipped in with two goals while Tavares has yet to score for Lazio.
This evening, Tavares could decisively dethrone Dimarco if he puts in a superior performance. But on the other hand, the Inter player has the chance to fend off the 24-year-old.