Verdict: Lazio win
Best Odds: 23/20
Bookmaker: Bet365
In what will undoubtedly be a lively encounter between two of Italy’s oldest foes, Lazio and Roma will meet at their shared Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon with local bragging rights up for grabs.
Lazio
Starting with the hosts, continuing to build off of what was a very eye-catching pre-season run, the mood in Lazio’s camp is on a high and Simone Inzaghi’s men are desperate to secure a European return for this year. Once again catching the eye over the weekend with an empathic 3-0 win away at Sampdoria in their Serie A opener, I Biancocelesti are now enjoying a seven-match winning run across all competitions and fans around the Stadio Olimpico will be excited to see attacking star Ciro Immobile open his account on the road last weekend. Bagging a brace away at Sampdoria last time out, the former Borussia Dortmund marksman bagged 15 top-flight goals last season and will once again be a crucial part in any European charge for Inzaghi’s side. Laying down an early marker in their opening contest at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris, Lazio will also be boosted by their most recent meeting against their bitter rivals. When the two sides met back in March, the Eagles secured a dominant 3-0 victory, just their second over Roma since 2012.
Team News
Forward Ricardo Kishna has been ruled out of Sunday’s derby.
Roma
As for the visitors, after failing to keep hold of their lead on three occasions against Genoa in their Serie A opener last weekend, many around that Stadio Olimpico were far from impressed by Roma’s 3-3 draw. Although I Giallorossi may have been disappointed to not have opened the new campaign with three points and lay down an early marker after securing a Europa League finish last season, new boss Paulo Fonseca does find his side enjoying a 15-match unbeaten run across all competitions, a run that stems back to the end of March. If the former European giants are to go one step further and secure a top-four return this year, then they must improve on some glaring defensive issues. Sunday’s hosts have failed to record a clean sheet in any of their last seven contests and have shipped a two or more goals in four of their last five. With last year’s Golden Boot winner Stephan El Shaarawy securing a lucrative move to China over the summer, much of Roma’s goalscoring burden will fall on the shoulders of former Manchester City man, Edin Dzeko. Opening his account against Genoa last weekend, the Bosnia international only managed nine Serie A goals last year, his worst return since moving to Italy’s top-tier.
Team News
Both Diego Perotti and Maxime Gonalons will not feature on Sunday.
Key Factors to Consider
- When the two sides met back in March Lazio came away with a 3-0 victory.
- That, however, was just Lazio’s second victory over Roma since 2012.
- Five of the last six contests between the two sides have seen over 2.5 goals.
- Roma have conceded two or more goals in four of their last five matches across all competitions.
- Lazio have recorded just one clean sheet in their last seven Serie A matches.
Conclusion
On paper, this has all the makings of a Sunday evening that should produce a string of chances at both ends. With both Roma and Lazio bagging three goals in their Serie A opener last weekend and both sides continuing to shine in the final third, this weekends derby also has previous for producing plenty of fireworks. With four of the last five meetings seeing over 2.5 goals and some defensive issues in both camps that need resolving, we’re backing another high-scoring encounter at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.
Verdict: Lazio win
Best Odds: 23/20
Bookmaker: Bet365
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