Serie A: All Roads Lead to Rome

Lazio vs AS Roma

Two of Europe’s most respected managers come head-to-head on Sunday when the Serie A game between Lazio and AS Roma kicks off in the Italian capital.

The Rome Derby is one of the biggest fixtures on the calendar, and there’s a hint of tension between Maurizio Sarri and Jose Mourinho in the run up to the game. Both Roman giants sit outside the top six at the moment, and that isn’t something we expected to see at the start of the campaign.

Visitors Roma are in seventh place with Lazio 10th, though just a single point behind their rivals in a congested group with only four points separating Atalanta in fifth from Torino in 12^th.

Lazio come into the game on the back of a Champions League win over Feyenoord, while Roma succumbed to Slavia Prague in the Europa League.

The two bosses have exchanged some spiky words over the past couple of days, and the Serie A 2023 betting odds tell us this is a classic in the making.

Talking Points

Sarri bigs up his boys

Feyenoord gave Lazio a tough night on Tuesday, and Sarri was proud of his players who came through, thanks to a Ciro Immobile strike on the stroke of halftime.

The Dutch side dominated the possession and won the shot counts by 12 to nine and three to one on target, but Lazio defended bravely and the victory took them above Feyenoord and into second place in Champions League Group E.

Sarri praised his team who he said had come through a war, and then he took aim at Roma who he claimed were just warming up for the Rome Derby with a meaningless “friendly” against Slavia Prague.

“We found a team which has considerable quality in dribbling. We deliberately left them a bit of space but it’s a game in which we had to suffer, and we did it together,” said Sarri.

The Lazio manager singled out midfielders Manuel Lazzari and Matteo Guendouzi for praise, and their tireless running and closing down space in the middle of the park was crucial to the Italians’ success.

This time last year, Lazio were sitting in second place where they finished the 2022/23 campaign. And after a slow start, they are finding their feet in Serie A with an improving set of performances, and so is talisman Ciro Immobile who has scored three goals in the league to add to his winner against Feyenoord in the Champions League.

Look out too for winger Felipe Anderson, who is negotiating a new contract with the club and is in his best form for some time.

Jose takes a swipe at Maurizio

Roma were in Europa League action on Thursday when they fell to a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Slavia Prague. The result leaves the two teams at the top of Group G, both on nine points and with a five point gap to third placed Servette.

Mourinho was able to rest some players, but he responded to Sarri’s “friendly” comments with a cheeky dig of his own.

“If someone should feel offended by that comment, it is Slavia Prague not me. The way in which the coach talked it’s as if to say Slavia has no quality. Perhaps the difference between a coach who has won 26 titles and another who has barely won anything is exactly that kind of mentality: there are no friendly games,” said Mourinho.

Ouch!

To be fair to Sarri, he has won Serie A with Juventus and a Europa League with Chelsea, but you can see Jose’s point.

Now the manager formerly known as the Special One must rely on his players to do the business on the pitch.

And he knows he can count on Belgian hitman Romelu Lukaku who, with six goals in the league, has found a new lease of life thanks to his reunion with Mourinho, and he’s sure to make some Serie A 2023 highlights on Sunday.

Another key man is midfield star Leandro Paredes.

The Argentine enforcer made the switch from PSG in the summer, and he has provided a shield for the Roma defence with his tough tackling and excellent reading of the game. Paredes will aim to stem the flow of Lazio’s supply to Immobile.

History

With 27 victories to 21, Roma have had the better of the head-to-heads over the past 30 years. But last season, Lazio did the double with two 1-0 wins.

In terms of recent form, both teams are in good shape with four wins from the last six games.

Betting Tip

Lazio have had two days more to prepare for this mega clash, and the SBOTOP stats team make it tough game to call, with the hosts at 2.67, the visitors at 2.44, and the draw at 2.99.

Maybe Sarri has a point, though, and Roma did have an easier ride in midweek. I can see the two teams cancelling each other out, and a 1-1 draw is as low as 4.84.

 

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