Trailing their old foes by some 15 points in the Serie A standings, Roma will fight to reduce that deficit in Sunday's Derby della Capitale against Lazio.
Coming into the 184th Rome derby since 1929, the Giallorossi are aiming to get back on their feet after a dismal year, while the Biancocelesti can look back on the past few months with pride.
Match preview
After a tumultuous 2024 that featured the sackings of Jose Mourinho and club icon Daniele De Rossi, a disastrous spell under Ivan Juric, and the return of beloved boss Claudio Ranieri, there is no doubt that Roma's new year aim will be stability.
The Giallorossi even slipped close to the relegation zone at the start of December, after conceding two late goals to lose in Como; but they bounced back by beating Sampdoria in the Coppa Italia, before Ranieri conquered another of his old clubs, Parma.
A convincing 5-0 home win lifted Roma back into the top half of the table, before signing the year off with a 1-1 draw against AC Milan at San Siro, so they will try to carry that momentum into Sunday's seismic contest at Stadio Olimpico.
However, Roma's recent results against Lazio have been below their fans' high expectations, and last January's Coppa Italia loss proved virtually the final straw for Mourinho, who was sent packing just a few days later.
De Rossi then led them to an overdue Serie A derby win in April, but another Rome-born boss, Ranieri, is now tasked with winning the latest edition of an Eternal City rivalry.
Last term's loss was Lazio's only derby defeat in five meetings dating back to 2022, while recent form will surely make them favourites to prevail this weekend.
The Biancocelesti finished last year with four wins in six matches, including back-to-back league and cup defeats of title challengers Napoli and a Europa League victory over Ajax in Amsterdam.
This season, Marco Baroni's men have won 17 of 25 games across all competitions, putting them top of the standings in UEFA's second-tier tournament - where they lead Roma by seven points - and safely inside Serie A's top four.
Just after Christmas, a late equaliser denied them victory over in-form Atalanta BC at Stadio Olimpico, but they are still just six points behind La Dea and cannot be ruled out of the Scudetto race.
The only significant setback since Baroni took charge was a chastening 6-0 home defeat to Inter Milan - their only loss in Rome all season - so confidence should be sky-high when they resume hostilities with their arch-rivals.
Team News
Roma will have only two absentees on Sunday evening, with Bryan Cristante still sidelined by an ankle injury and Zeki Celik laid low by illness.
Claudio Ranieri could therefore keep faith with the lineup that started against Milan, featuring Artem Dovbyk up front, supported by Paulo Dybala. Although, after scoring seven times in his first 10 league games against Lazio, Dybala has since failed to find the net in any of the last eight.
Club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini may have to make do with a place on the bench, after Ranieri's assessment that ongoing tension with Roma's fans is causing the Italy international to perform below par.
Meanwhile, Marco Baroni must weigh up whether to bring back Boulaye Dia and Gustav Isaksen or retain Lazio's forward line from last weekend, which featured opening goalscorer Fisayo Dele-Bashiru.
Taty Castellanos will certainly start up top, ably aided by his skipper Mattia Zaccagni: the latter has already scored two derby winners since joining the Biancocelesti.
Baroni is still missing midfielder Matias Vecino and ex-Roma winger Pedro, but Tijjani Noslin could overcome an ankle injury in time to make the bench.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Paredes, Kone, Angelino; Dybala, El Shaarawy; Dovbyk
Lazio possible starting lineup:
Provedel; Marusic, Gila, Romagnoli, Tavares; Guendouzi, Rovella; Isaksen, Dele-Bashiru, Zaccagni; Castellanos
We say: Roma 1-2 Lazio
Roma may have steadied the ship, but Lazio are a class above their city rivals this season and can score more than once past a vulnerable defence.
Blessed with attacking options, the Biancocelesti should secure a win that takes them even further ahead in the standings, starting 2025 in style.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
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