Italy Round 31

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AS Roma vs Lazio Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

AS Roma:
Svilar; Karsdorp, Mancini, Llorente, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy

Lazio:
Mandas; Casale, Romagnoli, Gila; Marusic, Guendouzi, Cataldi, Pellegrini; Alberto, Anderson; Immobile

AS Roma host Lazio at Stadio Olimpico in another "Derby della Capitale". According to locals, this derby is "much more than just a game." The Roman derby has been the scene of several actions related to the political views of the fan bases. Lazio's ultras often use fascist symbols on their banners and they have displayed racist behavior in several occasions during the derbies. Most notably at a derby of the season 1998/99 when Laziali unfurled a 50-metre banner around the Curva Nord that read, "Auschwitz is your town, the ovens are your houses".

Here are few interesting statistical information. The first 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. 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.

Now about the match. Roma play much better since Daniele de Rossi replaced Jose Mourinho. They have lost just one of 10 league games under him, picking up 23 from the possible 30 points. In addition, they secured Europe League quarterfinal with a 4:1 aggregate victory over Premier League side Brighton. The good news is that captain Lorenzo Pellegrini returns from suspension. Paulo Dybala has fully recovered from his latest injury and should start from the first minute. The Argentine is scoring or assisted a goal every 80 minutes this season. Evan Ndicka must serve a one-match ban due to accumulated yellow cards, while Rasmus Kristensen is sidelined due to a thigh injury.

Lazio are far away from the Champions League spots. The fans are disappointed and ex-coach Maurizio Sarri paid the prize. He was sacked and replaced with Igor Tudor. The Croatian coach has an excellent start with a narrow 1:0 win against Juventus, when Adam Marusic scored a stoppage-time winner. At the moment they are 7th with 46 points, big 11 from the 4th placed Bologna. However, the fifth place could also lead to the Champions League, so they will be very motivated in the derby. Tudor will be missing the suspended Mattia Zaccagni, while three more players are struggling with injury - regular goalkeeper Ivan Provedel, Manuel Lazzari and Nicolo Rovella. Tudor has "sweet problem" in attack to choose between Taty Castellanos and captain Ciro Immobile.

AS Roma vs Lazio Prediction:

As of 10 January 2024, there have been 159 competitive meetings between the teams in Serie A. Roma have won 56 and Lazio 42, while the remaining 61 games finished as draws. However, the last period isn't too successful for the Giallorossi. Lazio have three victories and one draw on the last four matches. Even more, Roma failed to score a single goal on those four matches. But every series have their end and this could be exactly that situation. Roma play much better under Daniele de Rossi and this is an ideal opportunity.

AS Roma vs Lazio Pick: AS Roma to win @ 2.24 with Pinnacle