Last summer, Lazio were only considered as outsiders to make a top-three finish at the end of the season.
Champions Juventus and 2013-14 runners-up Roma were ranked favourites by the pundits to battle it out for the scudetto and eventually occupy the top two positions in the final standings.
That left only one Champions League slot up for grabs and few were placing their money on Lazio to topple the likes of Napoli, Inter, Milan and Fiorentina for the third place.
The story, however, turned out to be different.
Roma’s early resistance has fizzled away and Juventus are now on the doorstep of another league title. In fact, it is just a matter of days before they are crowned champions for the 31st time.
The Giallorossi’s dip in form and results in the last four months not only deprived Rudi Garcia’s team from giving Juve a good run for their money, but they also jeopardised their runners-up position.
In their last two outings, Roma bounced back with identical 1-0 wins over Cesena and Napoli.
Saturday’s win against Napoli was Roma’s first home league success since beating Inter 4-2 way back in November.
By contrast, with nine games to go, Lazio, buoyed by seven straight wins, have shot up to third place.
Now, they have the momentum to leapfrog city rivals Roma into second place and in so doing making it to the 2015/16 UEFA Champions League proper.
At present, Lazio are just one point behind Roma. The two anta-gonists clash on the penultimate day of the season in what promises to be a make-or-break derby.
Lazio are also six points clear of fourth-placed Fiorentina, a side they thrashed 4-0 a month ago. Sampdoria and Napoli are seven and eight points behind Lazio.
Significantly, two of Lazio’s four remaining away fixtures are against Sampdoria (on the 36th day) and Napoli (38th day). But if they continue to show the same kind of form, one expects them to have already made sure of Champions League qualification by then.
Lazio have been playing dazzling and pleasing-to-the-eye football this year.
In his first season in charge, Lazio coach Stefano Pioli has moulded a strong side with Felipe Anderson their star player.
They are strong in all departments and have an enticing mix of seasoned and up-and-coming players.
Federico Marchetti is still one of Italy’s best-rated goalkeepers and defender Stefan de Vrij is proving week after week why Manchester United coach Louis van Gaal is so keen to prise the Dutchman away from the Serie A.
Dusan Basta has been a valuable addition from Udinese while midfielder Lucas Biglia has improved with respect to last season.
Marco Parolo was another important summer signing, from Parma.
Mercurial midfielder Antonio Candreva is doing remarkably well, providing strikers with the ammunition they need to score goals, besides hitting a few himself.
Keita, a Barcelona product, and Filip Djordjevic are two utility strikers who have enabled Pioli to adopt a proper rotation system up front with veteran Miroslav Klose.
In his first season in charge, Lazio coach Stefano Pioli has moulded a strong side with Felipe Anderson their star player
The pacy Anderson, 22 next week, has been in exceptional form this season. Although he has just extended his contract with Lazio until 2020, it is being rumoured that several top clubs are keeping him in their radar, including Barcelona.
At this stage, attaining Champions League qualification, has become a top priority for Lazio.
The allure of the competition may convince Anderson to stay put and the money derived from UEFA’s flagship competition will put club supremo Claudio Lotito in a strong position to bolster an already competitive squad.
Moreover, Pioli’s men are still with a chance to win a major trophy this season. Tonight, they have the opportunity to reach their eighth Coppa Italia final if they eliminate struggling Napoli.
In the first leg, Lazio could not go beyond a 1-1 draw at the Olimpico. The result puts Napoli in the driving seat but nothing seems to be impossible for Pioli’s men at the moment.
In previous rounds, Lazio cruised to away wins at Torino and Milan to reach the semi-finals.
Tonight, they will be looking to make it three away cup wins out of three and progress to the final.