Lazio and Roma meet in derby of the capital
Even for those who don’t closely follow Italian football, Derby della Capitale – the bi-annual heated derby between fierce Serie A rivals Lazio and Roma – is always the fixture to look out for.
Forget about the Milan derby or the Turn derby, the derby of the capital is where the most spectacular fireworks can be seen.
In recent years Lazio have been the underdogs to the more successful Roma, but things are a little different this season. Roma have, at least, recovered from their dreadful start to the campaign to climb to a respectable seventh place in time for the derby, although their great rivals are soaring high and currently top the Serie A table by four points.
Roma manager Claudio Ranieri will be without captain Francesco Totti, which might not be such a bad thing based on his sub-standard performances this season, while Lazio will be without their lucky mascot – an American eagle named Olimpia, who has not been permitted to fly around the Stadio Olimpico pitch before the match kick-off as she would usually do because of concerns for her safety.
In every other home match this season, Olimpia has flown, and Lazio have not been defeated. As a result, the obvious question has already being asked: are the Serie A leaders about to come crashing back down to earth this weekend?
Second place Inter Milan could close the gap to one point on Saturday if they beat Brescia at home. The Nerazzurri were given an English lesson against Tottenham in the Champions League last Tuesday evening, but they remain a formidable outfit at the San Siro, and should pick up their sixth win of the campaign.
Over in France, there’s another tasty derby for European football fans to savour. PSG v Marseille, aka ‘The Classic’, pits the northern and southern French arch-rivals together and will take place on Sunday evening. For those with a thirst for full-blooded challenges and a few bookings, look no further.
Victory for either will ensure they keep the pressure up on league leaders Brest, while Lyon will attempt to continue their climb up the league table against second-place Rennes.
In the Bundesliga, Mainz will be desperate to regain top spot when they face mid-table Freiburg at the Dreisamstadion. Now with two defeats to their name following Halloween’s 2-0 loss to league leaders Borussia Dortmund, the German minnows are in danger of falling back down to the table after a wonderful, dream start to the campaign.
Should they lose, Hoffenheim will close the gap if they manage to overcome Hamburg at Volksparkstadion on Saturday.
Meanwhile, struggling Stuttgart are seeking only their third win of the campaign against Werder Bremen a day later. Neither team has impressed this season, despite many pundits tipping both for decent seasons inside the German top-flight, and with the winter break quickly approaching it’s important they finish the year as far away from the bottom three as possible.
And in Spain’s Primera Liga, the standout clash features Jose Mourinho’s Real Madrid, naturally, against local neighbours Atletico Madrid at the Bernabeu. The hosts have been in scintillating form of late, but were held to a 2-2 draw against AC Milan in mid-week, while Atletico continue to lack consistency. Anything other than Real win would be a shock.
Once again, only Real Madrid and Barcelona appear capable of challenging for the title this season, and the Catalan giants take on Getafe in the Spanish capital. Remember that sumptuous Lionel Messi solo goal in 2007? The one which bore a remarkable resemblance to Diego Maradona’s “greatest goal of all-time” at the 1986 World Cup finals against England? Well, that came against Getafe.
So keep your eyes peeled for more magic from the masterful Argentina international.
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