Renewing a rivalry that started back in 1929, Lazio and Roma meet at Stadio Olimpico for a crucial Derby della Capitale on Sunday evening.
Both embroiled in the fight for a top-four finish, the Rome clubs are side by side in the Serie A standings following the Giallorossi's recent revival.
Match preview
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While derbies traditionally see prior form fly out of the window, as both teams lay everything on the line for 90 minutes against their loathed local rivals, Lazio may be concerned about recent results.
Having won only one of their previous six Serie A matches - losing their grip on a Champions League place for next season - they edged out fellow top-four contenders Atalanta BC last week, with Gustav Isaksen's strike separating the sides in Bergamo.
That was just the Biancocelesti's fifth top-flight success of 2025, and since the turn of the year they have won back-to-back league games only once: in February, against lowly Cagliari and Monza.
Then, on Thursday they were beaten 2-0 by Bodo/Glimt in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final - and it could easily have been a heavier defeat in northern Norway - leaving their fate in the balance ahead of next week's return.
Hit for six by Inter Milan at the end of 2024, before losing 5-0 to Bologna last month, Lazio are apparently still a work in progress under Marco Baroni, who had made an impressive start to life at Stadio Olimpico.
Now trailing behind in the top-four race, with only seven rounds remaining, the capital club can afford few more mistakes if they are to return to Europe's elite level.
Lazio are unbeaten in their last nine 'home' games against Roma across all competitions - already a record run - so they will be intent on continuing that trend on Sunday.
Having led their old foes by 15 points in the standings before January's reverse fixture, that gap has since shrunk to two, making another derby defeat all but unthinkable for fans of the Biancocelesti.
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After striking twice in the first 20 minutes to win the clubs' most recent clash, Roma have not conceded a goal in their last three top-flight derbies - and they are now aiming to do the league double over Lazio for the first time since 2016.
In a typically tempestuous contest three months ago, Taty Castellanos was sent off during second-half stoppage time, and unsurprisingly this fixture has the highest number of both yellow and red cards in Serie A this century.
Roma went into that game as underdogs, following the sacking of club icon Daniele De Rossi and a disastrous spell under Ivan Juric, but the return of beloved boss Claudio Ranieri has since brought stability.
The Giallorossi's hometown hero became the first man to win his first four Serie A derbies as Roma manager, and he could now equal Fabio Capello, Nils Liedholm, Luciano Spalletti and Luigi Barbesino (all five) for most Derby della Capitale successes.
Under the 73-year-old's watch, Roma are currently unbeaten in 15 league matches, of which they have won 11, and only freshly-crowned French champions Paris Saint-Germain boast a longer streak without defeat across Europe's top five leagues.
Though they bowed out of both the Europa League and Coppa Italia, the last match they lost in Italy's top tier dates back to mid-December, following last week's hard-fought 1-1 draw with Juventus.
Back in the mix for a top-four finish, Roma's revival has been quite spectacular, as Ranieri enjoys a golden third stint at his boyhood club before moving upstairs to take a director's role this summer.
In a multi-team fight for European qualification, Fiorentina and AC Milan have already been overtaken, so leapfrogging Lazio would taste even sweeter.
Team News
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After a dismal display in midweek, Lazio are sure to make changes, with midfield fulcrum Nicolo Rovella back from a ban and first-choice goalkeeper Ivan Provedel set to return between the posts.
Sent off in January's derby, star striker Taty Castellanos has been edging towards a much-anticipated return from injury, and after appearing as a substitute in Norway he could be ready to start.
Also featuring in attack, skipper Mattia Zaccagni has already scored two Rome derby winners, and he has 14 Serie A goal involvements to his name this season. Ex-Roma man Pedro will battle it out with several contenders to join Zaccagni in the final third.
Only Patric and Nuno Tavares are sidelined for the Biancocelesti, while Roma will be without both Saud Abdulhamid and influential playmaker Paulo Dybala - but Alexis Saelemaekers is back after serving a suspension.
In Dybala's absence, top scorer Artem Dovbyk - just named Serie A player of the month for March - could be supported by Eldor Shomurodov if Claudio Ranieri shifts to a 3-5-2.
A favourite of Ranieri since their time together at Cagliari, the Uzbek striker scored a vital equaliser against Juventus last week, but he must vie with Matias Soule and club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini - among others - to start.
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Guendouzi, Rovella; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni; Castellanos
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Kone, Paredes, Angelino; Soule, Pellegrini; Dovbyk
We say: Lazio 1-2 Roma
Lazio (25) and Roma (21) are both among Serie A's top four for goals scored in the final half-hour this season, so a late twist is almost inevitable in the Eternal City.
These arch-rivals both need three points to aid their quest for Champions League qualification - so the game could open up, allowing the Giallorossi to exploit their foes' faltering defence.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
