AS Roma vs Lazio

April 3, 2017
By: Milos Markovic

Fans of the Italian football are in for another treat as AS Roma prepare to take on Lazio in the return leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals which brings forward yet another highly anticipating Derby della Capitale.

Roma on the rise

Giallorossi have done great to recover from the March slump which saw them lose three games on the trot. The 2-0 defeat to Lazio in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal started the freefall as Roma went on to lose to Napoli and Lyon in quick succession and in the matter of days. Luiciano Spalletti’s men showed great character to recover and record four straight victories, three of which were recorded on home soil. Roma did beat Lyon in the reverse leg, but the 2-1 victory was not enough to see them go through to the Europa League quarterfinals, but Giallorossi will not be too disappointed considering they are on their way to clinching the Champions League place through Serie A finish this season. The Coppa Italia is the matter of glory and prestige, so there is no doubt Luciano Spalletti will send his men in full charge on Tuesday night. The nominal hosts in this forthcoming match will be hoping Bosnian striker Edin Dzeko will continue his fine scoring form, which saw him get on the scoresheet in four of Roma’s last five matches. The 31-year-old forward has bagged impressive 33 goals in all competitions this season and will definitely be the one to watch.

Daniele De Rossi is struggling with his back injury, whereas Florenzi and Spinozzi are still struggling from respective knee injuries. Kevin Strootman returns to action after his Serie A suspension.

Lazio in fine form

Lazio are unbeaten in ten matches in a row and such a great run is a testament to the great work head coach Simone Inzaghi is doing with his talented squad. The Italian tactician has been able to rejuvenate striker Ciro Immobile, who is finally playing in great form after some frustrating spells at Borussia Dortmund, Sevilla and Torino, respectively. And with the young talents such as the Serbian starlet Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, who is enjoying a fantastic run of form as well, Lazio have become a force to be reckoned with this season. It was exactly Immobile and Milinkovic-Savic who gave Lazio a two-goal lead in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinal, putting Lazio in great spot ahead of the return leg. The Biancocelesti have been doing great as hosts in the Cup competition, winning five of their last seven games on the road, but Derby della Capitale is a special affair which requires caution.

Federico Marchetti is racing against fitness following his knee injury, whereas Stefan de Vrij is also a doubt for the game.

Verdict

AS Roma have no time to waste in this fixture and are expected to go full throttle from the off, whereas Lazio can comfortably sit back and wait for their chances on the break. We expect to see an interesting game hopefully with goals on each end of the pitch.

Top pick: Both teams to score 1.62 (8/13) @Bet365

Alternative pick 1: Roma 1.91 (10/11) @WilliamHill

Alternative pick 2: Edin Dzeko to score anytime 2.20 (6/5) @Unibet

We Highly Recommend These Places
Share your Opinion!