Italy Round 4

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Lazio vs Roma Preview:

Possible starting lineups:

Lazio:
Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Dele-Bashiru; Cancellieri, Castellanos, Zaccagni

Roma:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Rensch, Cristante, Kone, Angelino; Soule, El Shaarawy; Ferguson

Lazio will welcome Roma to Stadio Olimpico in another "Derby della Capitale". Considering that both teams share the stadium, no real home advantage. 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". With hope that fans from both teams will avoid such provocations, let's put the focus on sports history of the derby.

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.

Lazio have started the season in poor way. Three points from the opening three rounds is simply a bad record. The fans are disappointed with the inconsistency of their club. The Biancocelesti lost 2:0 to Como, then beat Hellas Verona 4:0, while last week suffered another painful defeat, losing 1:0 to Sassuolo. But there is no time for calculations, Lazio players need to give their best in city derby. Coach Maurizio Sarri has big issues ahead of this match as defensive trio Samuel Gigot, Patric and Manuel Lazzari are all set to miss out. Three more players are rated as doubtful - Nicolo Rovella, star striker Valentin Castellanos and Matias Vecino will all be assessed on Sunday morning.

Roma started the season good, with two victories in the first two rounds. They narrowly beat Bologna and Pisa and many fans start dreaming about the Scudetto. New coach Gasperini, who replaced Claudio Ranieri during the summer, is experienced tactician. However, the third round wasn't successful as Roma lost to Torino. The players confidence isn't high as previous, but this is a big derby where moment of inspiration could make a difference. Gasperini also has some injury issues: Leon Bailey and Paulo Dybala are definitely sidelined, while Mario Hermoso and Brazilian wing-back Wesley are rated as doubtful.

Lazio vs Roma Prediction:

Both Lazio and Roma aim to make a statement in the race for a top-four finish. As I wrote above, both teams suffered defeats last week. The question is simple, who will recover sooner. Maurizio Sarri's team lost in their last game. Sassuolo won 1:0 at Stadio Mapei. Lazio look poor on that match, they had the majority of the ball boasting 59% possession, but only three shots on target. Roma have not lost to Lazio in the past three games and I expect another success.

Lazio vs Roma Pick: Roma to win @ 3.00 with Everygame