Serie A: Sarri Refuses To Be Sidetracked By Second-Place Rise For Lazio

Lazio coach Maurizio Sarri said he would not be looking at the Serie A table even though they climbed up to second place after a hard-fought 1-0 win against Monza at home on Thursday.

Lazio have 30 points, level with AC Milan, but eight behind leaders Napoli before the final round of matches before the World Cup break.

"The table is worth nothing at this stage of the season so we won’t look at it. What gives us hope is that we won in a situation where last season we often tended to struggle," Sarri told Sky Sport Italia.

Lazio completed its second win in a row against Monza after edging AS Roma 1-0 in the Rome derby on Sunday.

"On a psychological level, clearly, this was the most difficult match, coming after the tension of the derby, so there was the elevated risk of a collapse in intensity. We did have that for a while in the opening half-hour but, fortunately, we got out of it and went on to win," Sarri said.

The Lazio manager also welcomed back striker Ciro Immobile, who came on as a substitute four minutes from time after being absent for a month due to a hamstring injury.

Lazio travel to Juventus on Sunday.