Roma vs Lazio – News and Probable Lineups

Competing for a spot in next season’s Champions League, Roma will face their city rivals Lazio in the Derby della Capitale this Sunday.

With just three points distinguishing four teams in a tight race for the top four in Serie A, Roma currently occupy the fifth position ahead of the penultimate matchday; however, Lazio will be highly motivated to triumph over their fiercest rivals at Stadio Olimpico.

Match overview

Reviving a fierce rivalry that began back in 1929, Rome’s top clubs will clash this weekend, with the nominal ‘home’ side still in pursuit of Champions League qualification.

Only three points behind Napoli, one less than Juventus, and level with fourth-placed AC Milan, Roma urgently needs to claim victory in their remaining two fixtures to secure a place in the top four—especially since Milan has a superior head-to-head record.

In Serie A, goal difference is not the primary tiebreaker, so if multiple teams finish with the same points, their outcomes in head-to-head matches will determine positions.

With all involved clubs, including sixth-placed Como, required to play simultaneously, fixture confusion prevailed until midweek, when it was officially confirmed that the derby would kick off at noon on Sunday.

Before concluding their season with a visit to Verona next week, Roma aims for a fourth successive victory after last week’s contentious win in Parma.

Scoring only two goals in stoppage time during the second half—one being Donyell Malen’s highly disputed penalty—kept the Giallorossi in contention for a much-coveted spot at Europe’s elite level.

Driven by Malen’s accurate finishing and intelligent link-up play, they have found the net in their last 13 league outings, averaging over two goals per match during this stretch.

Remaining unbeaten in their last 11 home games and recording seven clean sheets, Roma has also enjoyed an advantage over their city rivals in recent times.

The Giallorossi have secured three victories in the last four encounters with Lazio across all competitions—matching the total wins achieved in the preceding 13—and conceded only one goal during this stretch.

Therefore, following a 1-0 victory in the previous encounter this season, Gian Piero Gasperini is poised to become the seventh Roma head coach to win his first two top-flight derbies.

In stark contrast to their rivals, Lazio’s league campaign has been quite disappointing, and they could still find themselves outside the top half of Serie A, with Udinese and Sassuolo lurking just below.

Having missed the chance to qualify for Europe—meaning they will miss out for the second consecutive season—the Biancocelesti’s last viable option was to win the Coppa Italia.

However, just a few days after losing 3-0 to the same opponents in Serie A, Maurizio Sarri’s squad faced a similar outcome in Wednesday’s cup final, losing 2-0 to Inter de Milão, the double winners.

Making mistakes that led to both goals—and failing to challenge Inter—Lazio had to watch as the new Italian champions celebrated their triumph at Stadio Olimpico.

Despite ongoing unrest within the club and among the fans, Sarri’s team has gradually improved since winter gave way to spring, but they will enter the derby with confidence at a low ebb.

Struggling to score in 16 league matches this season—marking the club’s worst record since 1989—they must now attempt to breach Roma’s defense, or risk facing backlash from their frustrated supporters.

Team News

Roma continues to miss Evan Ferguson and Bryan Zaragoza – and Stephan El Shaarawy may also be unavailable due to an adductor issue – but both Lorenzo Pellegrini and Artem Dovbyk have returned to full training and could potentially feature on the bench.

Once again, Paulo Dybala, Matias Soule, and Niccolo Pisilli will all compete to support Malen in the Giallorossi’s attack: since joining midway through the season, Malen has scored 13 goals in just 16 Serie A appearances.

On the other hand, no Lazio player has scored more than five league goals, with Gustav Isaksen currently leading the team.

As he approaches his final derby, former Roma player Pedro—who courageously crossed the divide in 2021—has scored four goals this season, and the experienced winger is known for netting crucial late goals.

Sarri has rotated through various substitutes for Taty Castellanos, who departed the Biancocelesti in January, so Tijjani Noslin, Daniel Maldini, Boulaye Dia, or even Petar Ratkov could be brought in for the front line.

While there are uncertainties regarding the fitness of Patric and skipper Mattia Zaccagni, only goalkeeper Ivan Provedel has been officially ruled out due to injury, but key defender Alessio Romagnoli is set to serve a suspension resulting from last week’s dismissal against Inter.

Roma probable starting XI:

Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Soule, Dybala; Small

Lazio probable starting XI:

Motta; Marusic, Gila, Proxgaard, Pellegrini; Basic, Rovella, Taylor; Isaksen, Noslin, Zaccagni

With momentum favoring them, Roma is expected to win the 164th Derby della Capitale held in Italy’s top division, thereby completing a league double over Lazio.

The Biancocelesti are still recovering from their disappointing defeat in the Coppa Italia final, while their Giallorossi counterparts are determined to secure Champions League qualification.