Roma vs Lazio Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Roma:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Kumbulla; Karsdorp, Cristante, Mkhitaryan, Zalewski; Pellegrini; Zaniolo, Abraham
Lazio:
Strakosha; Lazzari, Felipe, Acerbi, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Alberto; Anderson, Immobile, Pedro
Roma welcome Lazio to Stadio Olimpico in the Derby della Capitale. According to locals, this derby is "much more than just a game." The first Roman derby was played on 8 December 1929, and finished 1:0 for Roma. The first goalscorer was Rodolfo Volk. Lazio won its first derby almost three years later, on 23 October 1932. The highest victory in a derby was the 5:0 win of Roma during the season 1933/34. However, Lazio holds the record of the most victories in a single season - four during the season 1997/98. The two sides have met twice in Serie A and twice in the quarter-finals of the Coppa Italia. Lazio won 3:1 and 2:0 in the league, and 4:1 and 2:1 in the cup. In one occasion the derby was played as a Coppa Italia Final, on 26 May 2013. Lazio won 1:0 thanks to Senad Lulic's goal. Francesco Totti is the all-time top scorer in the Derby della Capitale with 11 goals. As of 26 September 2021, there have been 155 competitive meetings between the teams in Serie A. Roma have won 55 and Lazio 40, while the remaining 60 games finished as draws.
Roma are sixth on the table, just one point away from Lazio. They are in solid form at the moment. Jose Mourinho's men are unbeaten on the last eight matches in Serie A, since the painful home defeat to Juventus in early January. Nevertheless, only half of those eight matches were victorious, meaning Roma have dropped too many points. The Giallorossi were also successful in Europa, securing the quarter-finals after recorded a 2:1 aggregate victory over Dutch side Vitesse. Tammy Abraham was the hero after scoring a 90th-minute equalizer on Thursday. Mourinho will have four players back from suspension - both Gianluca Mancini and Sergio Oliveira are back from European bans, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marash Kumbulla return from one-match domestic suspensions. Lorenzo Pellegrini picked up a fever and he is rated as doubtful.
Lazio are fifth on the table, but they are big seven points away from the last Champions League spot. The actual form could be rated as solid, they won the last two matches against Cagliari and Venezia. The Biancocelesti have scored four goals in the process, while kept clean sheet on both occasions. It is clear coach Maurizio Sarri has improved the defense. So far Lazio have kept six clean sheets in Serie A in 2022, and only Real Sociedad have managed more across the top five European leagues during this calendar year. Sarri will be without the suspended Mattia Zaccagni, while defender Stefan Radu is still struggling with a foot injury that has kept him out of action for over a week. Midfielder Luis Alberto, who come off injured against Venezia on Monday, should recover in time for this match.
Roma vs Lazio Prediction:
According to me, Lazio are closer to the victory. Roma are unbeaten on the last eight matches in Serie A, but their recent performances were not at desired level. The Giallorossi escaped the defeat from Udinese thanks to a late penalty. Plus, Lazio players had longer rest as Mourinho's men were involved in the European action on Thursday evening. The Portuguese coach has no big roster and three days more rest should not be underestimated.
Roma vs Lazio Pick: Lazio to win @ 2.75 with Bet365