Lazio host AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in the first Roman derby of the Serie A season on Friday night.
Even though five places separate Roma and Lazio in the Serie A standings at the moment, there are only six points between them right now.
Lazio coach Simone Inzaghi will know that a win for his side will take them straight back into the mix at the business end of the table.
Last Sunday, Roma played out an entertaining 2-2 draw against Serie A rivals Inter Milan. After taking the lead early in that game, Roma went behind in the second half when Achraf Hakimi scored for Inter. However, a late equaliser from Gianluca Mancini enabled a share fo the spoils.
Lazio have won two in a row in Serie A, a rare accomplishment for them this season. In their last game, goals from Felipe Caicedo and Luis Alberto gave them a 2-0 win over Parma away from home.
Lazio vs AS Roma Head-to-Head
Roma have won 23 of the last 48 Rome derbies, with Lazio only managing to win 12. In that time, there have been 13 stalemates.
Lazio form guide: W-W-D-L-W
AS Roma form guide: D-W-W-W-L
Lazio vs AS Roma Team News
Lazio
Lazio will have Joaquin Correa returning to the side, but he may start on the bench. Senad Lulic and Mohamed Fares are still injured, while Thomas Strakosha remains unavailable.
Injured: Senad Lulic, Mohamed Fares, Thomas Strakosha
Doubtful: None
Suspended: None
AS Roma
Roma coach Paulo Fonseca could welcome Pedro back in this game, and he is likely to be named on the substitutes list.
The injuries to Nicolo Zaniolo and Antonio Mirante continue to keep them out of the team.
Injured: Nicolò Zaniolo, Riccardo Calafiori, Antonio Mirante
Doubtful: Pedro
Suspended: None
Lazio vs AS Roma Predicted XI
Lazio Predicted XI (3-5-2): Pepe Reina; Luiz Felipe, Stefan Radu, Francesco Acerbi; Manuel Lazzari, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Lucas Leiva, Luis Alberto, Adam Marusic; Felipe Caicedo, Ciro Immobile
Roma Predicted XI (3-4-2-1): Pau Lopez; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez; Rick Karsdorp, Gonzalo Villar, Jordan Veretout, Leonardo Spinazzola; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Henrikh Mkhitaryan; Edin Dzeko
Lazio vs AS Roma Prediction
Usually a derby is fairly difficult to predict because of the extra emotions and motivations involved in such a game.
However, we expect Roma to secure a narrow win, as they have looked more capable of stringing together solid team performances this season.
Prediction: Lazio 1-2 AS Roma