Lazio vs. Juventus match preview:

 For the first time this season, Juventus will be facing a domestic opponent they've already seen. Lazio and Juventus played for the Supercoppa in August and will now meet for the first time with Serie A implications Friday night. The thing is, though, the way Juve were when Lazio saw them three months ago in China — even with the result going their way — ins't quite the same kind of condition as they are in right now.


ROME, ITALY
Little did we know that Juve would have the kind of start they did back when they lifted the Italian Super Cup just a handful of days before the 2015-16 season got underway. But I guess that's beside the point now. We know that the August and September version of Juventus is now a thing of the past. This Juventus is one that has, well, won a lot over the past five weeks. It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?

Juventus going for their fifth straight league win has just as much attached to it as the previous four victories. There's the opportunity to continue this rise up the Serie A table — which currently has Juve just three points behind fourth-place Roma. A win over Lazio would obviously see Juve pull even with Roma for 24 hours at the very least depending on how the latter's game against Torino — which is no gimme by any stretch of the imagination — goes down.

No matter what, though, a win would be another sign that this Juventus ship is starting to pick up serious steam.

The importance of this pre-holiday stretch can't be taken for granted. First there was Milan, then Manchester City, now Lazio and soon Sevilla and Fiorentina. They've gotten the Champions League advancement part out of the equation already. Now the Serie A resurgence can — and hopefully will — continue at every given opportunity.