Lazio vs Roma

The storied rivalry between Lazio and Roma, dating back to 1929, reignites this Sunday at Stadio Olimpico for a pivotal Derby della Capitale.

Both clubs are neck-and-neck in the Serie A table, locked in a fierce battle for a top-four spot, with Roma riding a wave of recent resurgence.

Derbies often defy form, as both sides pour everything into 90 minutes against their bitter crosstown foes, but Lazio’s recent struggles could weigh heavily.

With just one victory in their last six league outings—slipping from Champions League contention—they managed a narrow win over top-four rivals Atalanta last week, thanks to Gustav Isaksen’s lone goal in Bergamo.

That marked only their fifth Serie A win of 2025, and since January, they’ve only strung together consecutive league victories once, back in February against modest Cagliari and Monza.

Their midweek Europa League quarter-final didn’t help morale, as they fell 2-0 to Bodo/Glimt in Norway—a scoreline that could’ve been worse—leaving their hopes teetering before the second leg.

After a 6-0 thrashing by Inter Milan late last year and a 5-0 defeat to Bologna in February, Lazio, under Marco Baroni, remain a team in transition despite a promising start at the Olimpico.

With just seven matches left and trailing in the race for a Champions League berth, they can’t afford any more missteps if they want to reclaim a spot among Europe’s elite.

Lazio do carry momentum into the derby, unbeaten in their last nine “home” clashes against Roma across all competitions—a club record they’ll aim to extend.

Having been 15 points ahead of Roma before their January meeting, that lead has dwindled to two, making a loss unthinkable for Lazio’s passionate supporters.

Roma, meanwhile, have dominated recent derbies, scoring twice early in their latest encounter to secure victory. They haven’t conceded in their last three league derbies and are now chasing a rare Serie A sweep over Lazio, something they last achieved in 2016.

Ranieri, a Roman through and through, made history by becoming the first Roma manager to win his first four Serie A derbies, and he's now one win away from equaling the record for most Derby della Capitale victories, joining legends like Fabio Capello, Nils Liedholm, Luciano Spalletti, and Luigi Barbesino on five wins.

Since the 73-year-old's return, Roma have gone 15 league games unbeaten—winning 11 of them—and only newly-crowned Ligue 1 champions Paris Saint-Germain have a longer active streak in Europe's top five leagues.

While Roma have exited both the Europa League and Coppa Italia, their last league defeat came back in mid-December. A gritty 1-1 draw with Juventus last week kept their unbeaten run alive.

Now back in contention for a top-four finish, Roma's resurgence under Ranieri has been nothing short of remarkable. As he prepares to transition into a director role this summer, his third spell in charge is shaping up to be a memorable farewell.

With Fiorentina and AC Milan already left behind, overtaking bitter rivals Lazio in the race for European places would be the sweetest prize yet.