Gasperini excited to renew Sarri rivalry in Derby della Capitale

Gian Piero Gasperini is relishing the chance to renew his long-standing rivalry with Maurizio Sarri in Sunday's Derby della Capitale between Lazio and Roma. 

Gasperini has faced Sarri 21 times during his managerial career, only taking on Massimiliano Allegri (29), Stefano Pioli (27) and Simone Inzaghi (22) more in all competitions. 

However, it is the former Chelsea boss who holds a slight advantage in the head-to-head record, registering seven wins to Gasperini's six, along with eight draws between them. 

Their most recent meetings date back to the 2023-24 Serie A campaign, with both coaches earning a victory apiece in that campaign.

Matias Vecino's 83rd-minute winner sealed a 3-2 win for Lazio over Atalanta, though Gasperini got his revenge in the return game, with Charles De Ketelaere's brace earning a 3-1 victory. 

"It's an important and special match," Gasperini said about the derby. "Some rightly say it's a match of its own because of what it carries into the following weeks. In the city, there's this great rivalry.

"It will be nice to meet [Sarri] in the derby. We have faced each other many times, with respect, and the awareness of a tough opponent, and an organised team with clear ideas.

"I hope it will become a really good match for the fans, one that honours the concepts of both coaches."

Last time out, Gasperini suffered his first defeat since taking over from Claudio Ranieri over the summer, with his Roma side beaten 1-0 by Torino at Stadio Olimpico. 

Despite that loss, Roma are seventh in the early season standings, taking six points from their opening three league games, while Lazio find themselves down in 12th. 

Indeed, the result saw Roma lose without scoring in a Serie A match for the first time since a 2-0 defeat to Como last December, but Gasperini is pleased with his squad. 

He added: "I'm very happy with how everyone has worked over these first two months. It was important to establish an effective connection right away.

"For me, it has always been like this. Results are built along the way. 

"At first, it’s hard to set goals, but as the matches go on, you see how much we improve and how strong the opponents are. You can start to have a clear picture.

"The principles that have allowed me to reach this point are the same I’ll try to bring to Roma, even if, of course, football moves forward.

"It evolves, and you always need to be alert to every small change. Alert to opponents and alert to the skill sets of your own players."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Lazio – Valentin Castellanos

Since Castellanos' arrival in Italy in 2023-24, Lazio have won 51% of their Serie A matches with him on the pitch (34/67), scoring 1.6 goals on average.

In games without the Argentine striker, however, both Lazio’s win percentage (25% - 3/12) and goal average (0.8) have halved.

Roma – Matias Soule

After scoring in the 1-1 derby draw against Lazio on April 13, Soule could write his name in more Derby della Capitale history.

Indeed, he could become only the third Roma player to score in both of his first two derby matches against Lazio in Serie A in the three points for a win era (since 1994-95), after Vincenzo Montella (in 1999-00) and Edin Dzeko (in 2015-16).

MATCH PREDICTION: DRAW

This will be the 163rd Rome derby in Serie A. Roma lead with 58 wins to Lazio's 42, with 62 draws completing the tally. Overall, no fixture has ended in a draw more often in Serie A history, and that outcome is a significant possibility again here, according to the Opta supercomputer.

Roma are, however, unbeaten in their last four league derbies against Lazio (W2 D2), conceding just one goal. The last time the Giallorossi avoided defeat in multiple derbies against their rivals in Serie A was between April 2013 and December 2016 (eight in that case – W5 D3).

Gasperini's side lost their most recent match against Torino but have not been defeated in consecutive Serie A games in 2025. The last time they did so was between November and December 2024 (four losses, two under Ivan Juric and two under Ranieri).

Only Barcelona (60), Paris Saint-Germain and Real Madrid (both 56) have earned more points than Roma this calendar year in the top five European leagues. During this period, the Giallorossi have also recorded the most clean sheets (13 in 23 matches).

Lazio, meanwhile, could lose three of their first four games in a single Serie A campaign for only the third time in the last 50 seasons, after 2014-15 and 2023-24. Furthermore, considering the final part of last season, the Biancocelesti have lost three of their most recent four league games (W1), as many as they lost in their previous 21 fixtures combined (W8, D10, L3).

But they have not lost any of their last eight home derbies against Roma in the top-flight (W4 D4), already a record run for Lazio in these matches. This fixture has only been drawn in three consecutive matches twice, happening between 1990 and 1992 and between 1964 and 1966.

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Lazio – 33.9%

Draw – 29.2%

Roma – 36.9%