Serie A PREVIEW | Roma v Lazio

Roma and Lazio lock horns against each other in yet another edition of the Derby della Capitale at the Stadio Olimpico this weekend. 

Roma have resurrected since the appointment of Daniele De Rossi as head coach following the departure of Jose Mourinho. The Giallorossi are dreaming of qualifying for the group stages of the Champions League next season as they are now only five points away from 4th-placed Bologna in the league standings.

Roma’s last Serie A match ended in a goalless draw with Lecce and they will be looking to get a win this Saturday to build up positive momentum ahead of their Europa League quarter-final clash versus Milan. 

Since De Rossi took the helm of the club, the Giallorossi have only lost once in the ten games under him, gathering 23 points across the matches. However, Roma have failed to find the net in each of their last four meetings with their neighbourhood rivals and they are in threat of extending that rut this weekend. 

Meanwhile, Lazio will look to go five derbies in a row unbeaten against their bitter rivals. The Biancocelesti knocked out Roma from the Coppa Italia earlier this year and they will be aiming to grab another win to keep the bragging rights in their part of the city. 

Lazio look to be outsiders in the race for the top four but they are firm favourites for finishing in a Europa League spot if they get positive results from their next few matches. Igor Tudor debuted with a 1-0 win over Juventus but suffered a setback at the hands of the same opponents in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semi-finals. 

Lazio are six points behind Roma in the league standings and with the business end of the campaign incoming, they will aim to push harder than ever to get the strongest finish possible. 

Results from their last five matches across all competitions

Roma:

D W L D W 

Lazio:

L W W L L

Team News

Roma will have skipper Lorenzo Pellegrini back for the derby after serving a suspension in his last match. Leandro Paredes and Bryan Cristante will join him in the midfield. 

Evan Ndicka will miss the game through a suspension. Diego Llorente or Dean Huijsen will deputise in central defence. 

As for Lazio, Ivan Provedel, Manuel Lazzari and Nicolo Rovella will miss the match with injuries. 

Ciro Immobile will look to start the match and continue his red-hot form versus Roma. 

Mattia Zaccagni was forced off with a knock during the clash with Juventus as Gustav Isaksen is expected to take the field this weekend.

Predicted XIs

Roma (4-3-3): Svilar; Karsdorp, Mancini, Llorente, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy.

Lazio (3-4-2-1): Mandas; Casale, Romagnoli, Gila; Marusic, Guendouzi, Cataldi, Pellegrini; Alberto, Anderson; Immobile.

Trambak Bhattacherjee | GIFN