By Trevor Stynes
(Reuters) – Lazio and AS Roma go head to head at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday with both clubs looking to continue their recovery after a poor start and close the gap to the top of Serie A.
Lazio lost their opening two fixtures, and Roma took just one point from their first three games, but both have managed to get their season back on track.
They both put together a recent run of three consecutive league wins, with Roma’s ending with a 1-0 loss at Inter Milan, before bouncing back with a 2-1 win over Lecce last weekend.
Lazio, having beaten Atalanta, Sassuolo and Fiorentina, were brought back down to earth with a 1-0 defeat at Bologna last weekend.
Just one point separates the sides in the table with Jose Mourinho’s Roma ahead for now, but in recent seasons Lazio have had the upperhand.
Lazio have finished higher in the league than Roma in the last four campaigns, and last season Maurizio Sarri’s side achieved the derby double over their city rivals, 11 years since they had won both home and away games against their neighbours.
Sarri and Mourinho both arrived to take charge in the capital in 2021, and the Lazio manager has come out on top in three of the four meetings between the two since then.
Mourinho does at least have a trophy to show for his work, winning the Conference League in his first season, but Sarri now has his Lazio side in the Champions League after claiming second spot in Serie A last season.
With Inter and Juventus setting the pace at the top, a battle for a Champions League spot may be the maximum the Rome sides can hope for at this stage, and three points in the derby game would be a massive boost for one of these teams.
AC Milan have taken just one point from their last three league games which has seen them slip to third place as both Inter and Juventus took maximum points in that same period.
Stefano Pioli’s side will hope the 2-1 win over Paris St Germain in the Champions League on Tuesday will bring a return to form, as they travel to take on Lecce on Saturday, a side without a win in their last six games.
A run of four consecutive wins, including the victory over Milan, has put Juventus into second place, two points behind Inter and with a four point cushion over Milan. A win at home to Cagliari on Saturday would take them top, until Sunday at least.
Massimiliano Allegri’s side have won their last three games on a 1-0 scoreline, with a real snatch and grab at Fiorentina on Monday, while Cagliari have managed to pull themselves out of the relegation zone in recent weeks.
Inter host Frosinone on Sunday, with Simone Inzaghi’s side looking for their fourth consecutive league win to remain in the driving seat at the top of the table.
Newly promoted Frosinone had been one of the favourites to go straight back down, but they currently have 15 points and sit in 11th place, but just two of those points have come away from home and they lost their last three games on the road.
Napoli at one stage were seven points behind Milan, but a return to form has seen them move to fourth place, just one point behind Pioli’s side. On Sunday they welcome an Empoli side deep in relegation trouble.
(Reporting by Trevor Stynes, editing by Pritha Sarkar)
