Roma vs Lazio

The 159th edition of the famous Derby della Capitale has all the makings of a top-four Serie A six-pointer as Roma and Lazio meet each other at the Stadio Olimpico.

Rom thumped Lazio 3-0 the last time they met in Serie A and could shut them out twice in a row in Serie A for the first time since 2013/14. Jose Mourinho’s men must be full of confidence after overhauling a 1-0 halftime deficit to beat Ludogorets 2-1 in midweek Europa League action and snatch a place in the competition’s knockouts. Speaking of comebacks, Roma fought back to grab a last-gasp 3-1 win over Hellas Verona last time out, making it four wins from five league matches (L1). But there’s no room for complacency, considering they are only one point clear of Lazio in fourth. It’s worth noting ‘I Giallorossi’ have lost both previous Serie A H2Hs contested in the first half of the season.

In stark contrast to Roma’s memorable week, Lazio followed up an underwhelming 3-1 home defeat to mid-table Salernitana with an equally disappointing 1-0 loss at Feyenoord, which condemned them to a third-place finish in their Europa League Group F. Although Maurizio Sarri’s men are only nominal visitors in this fixture, they haven’t lost a single away league game this season (W3, D2), returning an impressive +10 goal difference from those encounters (GF:11, GA:1). Against this backdrop, ‘I Biancocelesti’ have mustered just two victories across their last 24 Serie A meetings with Roma as nominal visitors (D8, L14). That’s troubling, as they stare at the prospect of losing back-to-back league outings for the first time since November 2021.