JAKARTA The hot aroma of Derby della Capitale again burned the Italian capital when Lazio hosted AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico, Sunday, April 13. The classic match, which has been taking place since 1929, now has a bigger bet: a fight for a place in the Champions League zone.
Both teams are only two points adrift in the Serie A standings, where Roma showed a remarkable revival under Claudio Ranieri. Lazio, on the other hand, are still looking for consistency and must rise soon after the defeat in the Europa League.
Lazio, despite being solid at the beginning of the year, were only able to win five times in Serie A throughout 2025. In the last match of the league, they managed to narrowly win 1-0 over Atalanta through Gustav Isaksen's goal an important victory in the last four competitions.
However, the 2-0 loss to Bodo/Glimt in the Europa League in the middle of last week again highlighted the issue of Marco Baroni's troop inconsistency. Moreover, in the previous two major matches against Inter (6-1 loss) and Bologna ( 5-0 loss), Lazio's defense looked very fragile.
Even so, Lazio have strong historical capital. They were unbeaten in the last nine home games against Roma in all competitions, making it the best record in the history of the capital derby.
However, after leading 15 points from Roma in early January, now that distance is only two points. The defeat in this match will be a crushing blow to Biancocelesti, who was previously dominant.
Meanwhile, Roma is on fire. Since being handled by Ranieri, they have been unbeaten in 15 Serie A matches only losing to PSG when compared to other European top five leagues.
In the previous derby last January, Roma won 2-0 and did not concede in the last three derbys. Now, they are aiming for a double win this season over Lazio, something that last happened in 2016.
Ranieri even has the opportunity to record her fifth win in Derby della Capitale and match legends like Capello and Spalletti. Not only pursuing personal achievements, but victory can also bring Roma up to the top four.
Lazio received good news with the return of midfielder Nicolo Rovella from suspension and main goalkeeper Ivan Provedel from injury. Taty Castellos' flagship striker has also recovered and has a chance to start after appearing as a substitute in the Europa League.
Captain Mattia Zaccagni, a two-goal winner at the previous derby, will return to lead the front line, while Pedro and Gustav Isaksen are competing to accompany.
Only two players have been confirmed absent for Lazio: Patric and Nuno Tavares.
Roma had to play without major playmaker Paulo Dybala and right-back Saud Abdulhamid. But Alexis Saelemaekers is back from suspension and ready to fill the right center line in a three-back formation.
Top scorer Artem Dovbyk, who was newly named Serie A Player of the Year in March, will be the mainstay on the front lines. He could be accompanied by Eldor Shomurudov, Matias Soule, or captain Lorenzo Pellegrini.
With both teams in a situation chasing each other's Champions League positions, this match will be a fierce battle with great tension, just like derby-derby before. Lazio will try to keep their dominance at the Olimpico, but Roma will appear with extraordinary confidence and long momentum without defeat.
Dybala's absence did reduce Roma's creativity, but the sharp presence of Dovbyk could be a differentiator. Lazio will rely a lot on the spirit of derby and Zaccagni, but their inconsistent performance is a doubt in itself.
Goals from Dovbyk and Pellegrini could lead Roma to make history by sweeping two derbys this season, as well as pushing them into the top four. On the other hand, Lazio must immediately rise if they do not want to slip further away from the European zone.
Lazio's Lineup Predictions (4-2-3-1):Provedel; Marusic, Crazy, Romagnoli, Pellegrini; Guendouzi, Rovella; Isaksen, Dia, Zaccagni; Castellanos
Roma (3-4-2-1):Svilar; Mancini,ploys, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Kone, Paredes, Angelino; Soule, Pellegrini; Dovbyk
Score Prediction: Lazio 1-2 Roma
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