Eternal City rivals Roma and Lazio clash at Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening, and the Derby della Capitale takes centre stage as Serie A heads towards its fascinating finale.
With the two foes divided by just a point and two places in the standings, not only capital city supremacy is at stake but also a potential place in Europe.
Match preview
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The Rome Derby always produces the most white-hot atmosphere in Calcio, with the capital coming to a standstill for 90 minutes as the city's two giants do battle at Stadio Olimpico.
Already, Roma coach Jose Mourinho, who pits his wits against fellow ex-Chelsea boss Maurizio Sarri again this weekend, has upped the ante by complaining bitterly about Lazio's longer rest while his side were in European action on Thursday evening.
Holding a one-goal lead from last week's first leg, the Giallorossi continued their quest for some overdue silverware in their Europa Conference League last-16 tie versus Vitesse, and squeezed through to the quarter-finals courtesy of a 1-1 draw salvaged by Tammy Abraham's 90th-minute equaliser on the night.
Among the favourites to lift the trophy in the competition's inaugural campaign, Mourinho's men - who will now face group stage conquerors Bodo/Glimt in the last eight next month - are also unbeaten in eight Serie A games.
Ahead of perhaps the biggest match of their season, then, Roma are finding some form, and though it has not always been convincing - Abraham's late goal was by no means the first in that run - they sit seventh in the table; just a win away from leapfrogging Lazio into fifth.
The Giallorossi last had a longer streak without defeat nearly three years ago, such has been their inconsistency under both Mourinho and his Portuguese predecessor Paulo Fonseca, but continuity of selection has helped foster understanding within the squad.
Though only nominally the 'home' side on Sunday, Roma have won eight and lost just three of 15 home matches in the league this term, and turned over Atalanta in their most recent outing at the Olimpico.
They may only have drawn 1-1 at lowly Udinese last weekend, but Lorenzo Pellegrini's stoppage-time equaliser at least kept their undefeated run rolling on. However, an in-form Lazio side are sure to put that record to the test.
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Ahead of the 156th Derby della Capitale in Serie A history, Lazio may have recorded only 40 wins to Roma's 55, but they were triumphant in September's reverse fixture, when Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Felipe Anderson and ex-Roma winger Pedro were on target in a 3-2 victory.
They also lead their capital city cousins in the table by the slimmest of margins, as they attempt to win consecutive league games against Roma for the first time since November 2012.
Under Sarri's idiosyncratic leadership, the Biancocelesti have surprised many since the turn of the year by transforming themselves into one of Europe's most defensively sound sides.
So far in 2022, they have kept six clean sheets in Serie A, and only Real Sociedad have managed more across the top five European leagues during that time. Indeed, Lazio have not conceded in six of their last eight top-flight matches; in stark contrast to keeping only two clean sheets in their first 21.
Leading the fight at the other end of the pitch, star striker Ciro Immobile scored the only goal against Venezia on Monday, as the Aquile soared to another Serie A success to follow their 3-0 win over Cagliari a fortnight ago.
Only elimination from both the Coppa Italia and Europa League has punctuated their league progress, and as all they have left to fight for is a top-six finish, Lazio will not want to let their most loathed rivals deprive them of a place in Europe.
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Team News
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Jose Mourinho will have a handful of players back at his disposal for the Derby following recent disciplinary absences, as both Gianluca Mancini and Sergio Oliveira are back from European bans, while Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Marash Kumbulla return from one-match domestic suspensions.
All four could feature from the start, but the latter must contest a place in central defence with Roger Ibanez, while there is some doubt about who Mourinho will select on the left flank. Stephan El Shaarawy is an outside contender, but young Nicola Zalewski and Matias Vina are more likely picks.
Up front, top scorer Tammy Abraham has netted more opening goals than any other player in the top five European leagues this season - eight times so far - and once again leads the Giallorossi line following his crucial strike in midweek.
Meanwhile, Lazio will have midfielder Luis Alberto available for the capital city clash after he returned to full training, having come off injured on Monday. However, veteran defender Stefan Radu is still struggling with the foot injury that has kept him out of action for over a week, and Mattia Zaccagni is sidelined as he serves a suspension.
The latter is set to be replaced by former Roma man Pedro, who endured a difficult time at Lazio's arch-rivals, while Adam Marusic could also start at full-back after returning from a ban. Manuel Lazzari is favourite to feature on the right after completing his return from injury last time out.
Further upfield, Sergej Milinkovic-Savic has been directly involved in more Serie A goals this term than any other midfielder (eight goals, nine assists), while Capocannoniere contender Ciro Immobile has previously scored four times in league derbies, and will want to take another of Silvio Piola's long-standing club records (six) after recently surpassing the Lazio legend's overall goals mark.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Karsdorp, Cristante, Mkhitaryan, Zalewski; Pellegrini; Zaniolo, Abraham
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Strakosha; Lazzari, Felipe, Acerbi, Marusic; Milinkovic-Savic, Leiva, Alberto; Anderson, Immobile, Pedro
We say: Roma 1-2 Lazio
Having given the impression they are running on fumes - relying on yet another late goal as recently as Thursday night, and only scoring once in each of their last five games - Roma's momentum could be halted this weekend.
If Immobile - fuelled by his battle with Dusan Vlahovic to be crowned Serie A's top scorer - can deliver the goods when it most matters, then Lazio can take advantage; pulling clear of their Olimpico co-tenants in the table.
Top tip
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Roma win with a probability of 48.55%. A win for Lazio had a probability of 26.08% and a draw had a probability of 25.4%.
The most likely scoreline for a Roma win was 1-0 with a probability of 11.31%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-1 (9.37%) and 2-0 (8.78%). The likeliest Lazio win was 0-1 (7.77%), while for a drawn scoreline it was 1-1 (12.06%). The actual scoreline of 3-0 was predicted with a 4.5% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted that Roma would win this match.
