A bonus edition of the Derby della Capitale kicks-off on Wednesday with Roma and Lazio meeting in the quarterfinals of the Coppa Italia. The Stadio Olimpico is primed for an electric atmosphere as these bitter rivals lock horns in the hopes of progression into the semifinals of the competition.
Meeting for the second time this season, both sets of supporters will hope for more action than the uneventful 0-0 draw that took place between the rivals in early November.
Given the Giallorossi and Biancocelesti have underwhelmed thus far in league play, the Coppa Italia offers a potential lifeline for silverware this season. The victor of Wednesday’s Derby will face the winner of Juventus-Frosinone, which takes place Thursday evening Torino.
Kick-off is scheduled for 18.00 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Roma
With the first half of their 2023/24 season completed, it’s no secret that Roma have struggled to live up to expectations. Jose Mourinho’s side currently sit eighth in the league standings and haven’t achieved any consistency in their results. The Giallorossi faced a 1-1 home draw against Atalanta in their last outing, highlighting the need to elevate their performance against the Biancocelesti.
Even though his side has a crucial upcoming league fixture this weekend against Milan, the Special One won’t make many changes from Sunday’s draw to La Dea. Backup shot-stopper Mile Svilar will start in net while Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala lead the attack. Bryan Cristante, Leandro Paredes, and Edoardo Bove are expected to start in midfield while new arrival Dean Huijsen is a near certainty to make his debut start due Diego Llorente nursing an injury.
Lazio
Like their rivals, things haven’t gone according to plan for Maurizio Sarri’s men. Lazio presently holds the seventh position in the Serie A rankings and has encountered a somewhat challenging season thus far. In their recent match, they secured a narrow 2-1 triumph over Udinese and aim to replicate such success on Wednesday.
However, they’ll have to overcome the absence of talisman Ciro Immobile, who’s nursing a muscle injury and won’t be called-up for the showdown. It’s not all bad news for Sarri, though: midfielder Luis Alberto returned to full training on Tuesday and will be available off the bench. In addition, ex-Roma defender Alessio Romagnoli returned from injury and is tipped to start against his former side alongside Patric.
Predicted Lineups
LAZIO (4-3-3): Provedel; Lazzari, Patric, Romagnoli, Marusic; Guendouzi, Cataldi, Vecino; Felipe Anderson, Castellanos, Zaccagni
Unavailable: Ciro Immobile
ROMA (3-5-2): Svilar; Hiujsen, Mancini, Kristensen; Celik, Cristante, Paredes, Bove, Zalewski; Dybala, Lukaku
Unavailable: Tammy Abraham, Evan Ndicka, Renato Sanches, Houssem Aouar, Chris Smalling
