One of the most heavily anticipated fixtures in the Serie A schedule pits eternal rivals Roma and Lazio against each other at the Stadio Olimpico. Saturday’s Derby della Capitale bears more than just bragging rights, with the Rome giants battling for places in next season’s European competitions.
For Roma, every game from now is a ‘make or break.’ Daniele De Rossi oversaw his first scoreless draw in Serie A since replacing Jose Mourinho in mid-January as bottom-half Lecce held Giallorossi to a goalless stalemate on Monday. Given the Puglia minnows’ first-half opportunities, it’s fair to say De Rossi’s troops got away with a point.
Unfortunately, that wasn’t enough to bridge the distance on fourth-placed Bologna. Roma commence this round in fifth, five points adrift of Thiago Motta’s high-performing side, and can ill-afford another slip-up if they’re to maintain a fighting chance in the last eight matches. However, despite entering this mouth-watering clash as pre-match favorites, they know better than to take anything for granted.
Nominal visitors Lazio painted Igor Tudor’s touchline debut with flying colors as Adam Marusic headed home a last-gasp winner to topple Juventus 1-0 last weekend. Midweek Coppa Italia action doused Biancocelesti’s optimism, with Massimiliano Allegri’s side claiming their revenge courtesy of a 2-0 home win in the first leg of their semi-final tie.
Unless Lazio can do the unthinkable in the return leg, they might have squandered their last chance of avoiding another trophyless campaign on Tuesday. But this is not a time to have regrets. Tudor’s team must regroup quickly to bolster their pursuit of a top-six finish, starting this round four points behind sixth-placed Atalanta, who also have a game in hand.
Match Preview
Roma
History backs Roma’s bid to extend their six-game unbeaten league streak (W4, D2). Only against Torino have they recorded more Serie A wins than against Lazio (67), yet the narrative has changed lately. Whether it was Mourinho’s overly defensive approach or a string of unlucky circumstances, Giallorossi have fired a blank in the last four competitive Derby della Capitale editions.
After a scoreless draw in November’s reverse fixture, Roma slumped to a 1-0 loss in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals in January. On the upside, they have since suffered just two defeats against fellow Italian adversaries (W7, D2), highlighting the team’s significant growth under De Rossi. But the former midfielder should keep in mind that his men have failed to score twice in their last three outings in all competitions.
Lazio
Despite their midweek fiasco in Turin, Lazio head into proceedings having won their last two Serie A games and could make it three league wins in a row for the first time since early January. However, it’s been more than 50 years since Biancocelesti last won back-to-back top-flight victories against Roma as the designated away side. In fact, they’ve achieved that feat only three times in the club’s history.
A disappointing run of five defeats across their last seven matches paints a bleak picture. Regardless of the outcome, a low-scoring contest is seemingly in store. Lazio’s last four encounters against Roma have featured a meager three goals. But as they produced each of them, it’s hard to put it past Tudor to record his second straight league triumph since taking Maurizio Sarri’s place in the dugout.
Team News
In addition to Rasmus Kristensen and Sardar Azmoun, who are out injured, Roma will be without Evan Ndicka. The Ivorian center-back has accumulated yellow cards and will watch the game from the stands. Ndicka’s absence pales to Lorenzo Pellegrini’s return from suspension and Paulo Dybala’s recovery after only being handed the last few minutes against Lecce.
As for Lazio, first-choice goalkeeper Ivan Provedel is still in the treatment room, with Nicolo Rovela and Manuel Lazzari likely to keep him company due to minor fitness issues. Mattia Zaccagni is another high-profile absentee after picking up an injury against Juventus, meaning Gustav Isaksen should fill his shoes on Saturday.
Roma vs Lazio Potential Lineups
Roma (4-3-3): Mile Svilar; Rick Karsdorp, Gianluca Mancini, Diego Llorente, Angelino; Bryan Cristante, Leandro Paredes, Lorenzo Pellegrini; Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku, Stephan El Shaarawy.
Lazio (3-4-2-1): Christos Mandas; Nicolo Casale, Alessio Romagnoli, Mario Gila; Adam Marusic, Matteo Guendouzi, Danilo Cataldi, Luca Pellegrini; Luis Alberto, Felipe Anderson; Ciro Immobile.
Roma vs Lazio Prediction
With goals at a premium for both teams lately, whoever scores the opening goal would probably take three points. With momentum on Roma’s side, De Rossi’s men are in a slightly better position to claim bragging rights. Yet, they have to cope with a psychological disadvantage after not scoring in their last four games against Lazio.
You can always expect the unexpected in a derby of this magnitude, but we see a draw as the likeliest scenario.
Prediction: Draw
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