"A Rome derby on the penultimate weekend of a Serie A season could never be a low-stakes occasion. Scudetto wins come rarely in Italy's capital city Roma and Lazio have only five between them leaving neighbourly bragging rights as the next-most important prize on offer. It is an intense, bitter rivalry that has produced countless iconic moments from Francesco Totti taking selfies under the Curva to a cup-winning to a cup-winning goal by Senad Lulic if sadly also many violent clashes between supporters."
"And, of course, it matters more when either side has tangible objectives left to play for. As recently as late April that did not appear very likely. Roma were sixth five points adrift of the Champions League places and Lazio ninth. But then the Giallorossi got on a roll, just as Milan and Juventus started dropping points. A win in the derby now could propel them into the top four, if either of those sides slipped up again."
"Lazio's own hopes of qualifying for Europe had been dashed when they lost the Coppa Italia final to Inter on Wednesday. But misery loves company, and denying Roma's ambitions would be a worthy consolation. All of which made it more astonishing that, one day before the game, nobody seemed sure if their manager would even show up. Maurizio Sarri had warned after the cup defeat that he might not."
"At the time it was unclear which day the derby would take place. A clash with the men's singles and women's doubles finals of the Italian Open tennis tournament, taking place just a few hundred metres outside the Stadio Olimpico, within the city's grandiose Foro Italico sports complex, had thrown the entire schedule of Serie A games into chaos. The derby was originally designated by the league as a 12.30pm Sunday kick-off. But on Tuesday the Rome prefect announced that it would be pushed back to the following Monday, at 8.45pm, instead."
The Rome derby between Roma and Lazio carries major importance because it is the next-most significant prize after rare Scudetto wins in the capital. The rivalry is intense and has produced iconic moments, alongside frequent violent clashes between supporters. With the season nearing its end, both clubs had tangible objectives: Roma aimed to move into the top four, while Lazio sought to deny Roma’s ambitions after losing the Coppa Italia final to Inter. After late April results and other teams dropping points, a derby win became more realistic for Roma. Despite this, uncertainty surrounded whether Maurizio Sarri would even attend. The match schedule was disrupted by the Italian Open tennis finals held near Stadio Olimpico, leading the Rome prefect to move the derby to Monday at 8:45pm for public-safety reasons.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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