Lazio vs AS Roma – Serie A – Preview

Posted on April 3, 2016 by Sreya

Lazio hosts AS Roma at Stadio Olimpico, Rome on 3rd April, Sunday as Serie A resumes after international break. Popularly known as Derby della Capitale by fans of both clubs, this will be AS Roma legend Francesco Totti’s last Rome derby.

Lazio are on the eighth position with forty two points courtesy their eleven wins while AS Roma are on the third position with sixty points. While Lazio has suffered a drop in form in their recent matches with only one win in their last five league fixtures, Roma are going strong after a mid-season slump.

Team News

Lazio have a lengthy list of absentees with Senad Lulic suspended and Stefan de Vrij, Stefan Radu, Santiago Gentiletti, Abdoulay Konko and Ricardo Kishna sidelined through injuries. Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Dusan Basta are doubtful too.

Norbert Gyomber is Roma’s only serious injury concern, while Daniele De Rossi is listed as a doubt.

Lazio Possible Starting Lineup: Federico Marchetti, Patric, Wesley Hoiedt, Milan Bisevac, Edson Braafheid, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Biglia, Marco Parolo, Antonio Candreva, Alessandro Matri, Felipe Anderson.

AS Roma Possible Starting Lineup: Wojciech Szczesny, Alessandro Florenzi, Kostas Manolas, Antonio Rudiger, Lucas Digne, Radja Nainggolan, Miralem Pjanic, Mohamed Salah, Diego Perotti, Stephan El Shaarawy, Edin Dzeko.

Thoughts From Both Camps

“I have to put on a brave face. I want us to finish the season professionally and with a sense of pride. We are working with passion and enthusiasm but we have not been able to meet pre-season expectations, which were high.”

– Stefano Pioli, Lazio.

“Lazio have nothing to lose, they’re already out of Europe and they’ll just want to win this game. A derby is always a derby, we’ll begin the game with one thought in our minds – winning.

The atmosphere won’t be like last season, but when you’re a professional you always have to play, with or without the fans. You have to do your job and do it as well as you can. We’re the better side and we have to show that. I’m sure that we’ll achieve our goal.”

– Kostas Manolas, AS Roma.

Contributor’s Pick

According to Head-2-Head statistics, Roma has won three and lost only one of the last six matches between these two sides. Not only are Roma undefeated against Lazio in the last five encounters in all competitions, Roma have also won their last four away matches in the Serie A this season. The visitors are likely to win by a scoreline of 2-1.