Serie A: Dramatic Chapter Ahead in the Derby Della Capitale

Lazio vs AS Roma

The second match day of the Serie A will feature a drama-filled affair between rivals Lazio and Roma in the Derby Della Capitale.

Both of these clubs had contrasting starts to kick off their respective seasons. Lazio annihilated Sampdoria with a 3-0 victory, while Roma’s match with Genoa ended with a 3-3 draw.

Even if they missed out on the Europa League qualifiers by a few points, Lazio came in with optimism this season after a summer to remember.

On the other hand, even if Roma did have a Europa League qualifiers spot last term, they became one of the league’s biggest losers over the summer since they were riddled with a lot of internal turmoil.

Expect a lot of Serie A 2019 highlights in this match as both teams are expected to give it their best in winning this match.

For now, let SBOBET offer you a review on these two clubs.

Talking points

Drama all over at Roma

Roma’s social media accounts were probably very active over the last summer after facing a lot of external scrutiny. After all, they’ve endured a major overhaul ever since they lost against Lazio in humiliating fashion last March.

Eusebio Di Francesco got fired after they were eliminated from the UEFA Champions League and sporting director Monchi followed suit as he went over to Sevilla in the La Liga.

Their defence became a whole lot weaker when they lost the likes of star defender Kostas Manolas, Luca Pellegrini, Stephan El Shaarawy and Steven Nzonzi.

From there, the Giallorossi added a new sporting director, new coach, new goal keeper, plus a slew of full-backs on defence and midfielders. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re going to add a new striker as well given that the transfer window is fast approaching.

But perhaps what really hurt Roma fans are the departures of club icons Daniele del Rossi and Francesco Totti – both in disappointing fashion.

The 36-year-old midfielder was not given a contract extension by Roma while Francesco Totti resigned from the team and held a controversial 90-minute press conference in which he lambasted the management.

Paul Foncesca will have the unenviable task of steering the sinking ship of Giallorossi to a new direction given everything that happened to them in the past few months.

It’s still early in the season — but if their new signings of Leonardo Spinazzola, Amadou Diawara, Pau Lopez, Jordan Veretout, and Gianluca Mancini somehow pay off – at least they could salvage some hope along the way.

Lazio’s work under the shadows

Unlike Roma, Lazio experienced a relatively quiet offseason, but that doesn’t mean that the team didn’t experience any kind of success during that time.

They managed to keep the likes of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, Luis Alberto, and Ciro Immobile – all who are looking to make amends from their lacklustre showing last term. They’ve also added Manuel Lazzari to their roster which is a great fit to Simone Inzaghi’s system.

Simone Inzaghi hopes fans would recognize SS Lazio squad more after potential victory over AS Roma in Serie A Derby Della Capitale — Lazio manager Simone Inzaghi gives directions to his players during the Italian Cup match against AC Milan at the San Siro stadium

Speaking of Inzaghi, he had more time to work with his players during the summer. Last May, the Biancocelesti won in the Coppa Italia for the seventh time, drawing level with Inter Milan while putting themselves in good company behind Roma and Juventus.

The club scored 59 goals in the preseason and they put out a great performance in the season opener against Sampadoria, which sometimes leave us to wonder as to why they haven’t been getting much attention as of late.

Inzaghi echoed such sentiments days after their first Serie A game. The young manager emphasized that his team should be more talked about as a force to be reckoned with in the league. Nonetheless, Lazio looks to be a contender, at least in the top 4 this season.

“There’s always little talk of Lazio and I’m used to it, but we’ve shown year-in-year-out that we read plays well,” said Inzaghi.

“There are teams [that are] much more talked about than us, although it changes little for me if people don’t say much about Lazio,” he added.

History

The Derby Della Capitale’s first match was back in December 1929 where Roma got the better of Lazio with a 1-0 victory.

In their previous match up, it was Lazio who came up big with a 3-0 win over Roma. It was their largest win in the Derby Della Capitale since 2006.

All in all, Lazio and Roma have met a total of 87 times prior to their match on Sunday.

Betting Tip

	Lazio vs Roma	Lazio Asian Handicap +0.00 @ 1.63
	September 2, 12:00 (GMT+8)

Lazio is at 2.21 odds for a win while Roma is set at 3.05. The Serie A 2019 odds for a draw in this fixture are at 3.45.

Momentum is clearly on the side of the Biancocelesti, but one can’t simply count out Roma in this highly-anticipated matchup.

A lot of goals are to be expected in this match as recent history suggests. However, Roma’s shaky defence will give Lazio the slight advantage in this one.

If you were to ask me, the Biancocelesti will eke out a 3-2 win in this fixture at the Stadio Olimpico.