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The Rome derby is upon us and the stage is set for a fiery battle between two teams who need a victory – both for the table and above all psychologically.

Lazio have slid down to 15th position – just four points clear of the relegation zone – with their humiliating defeat at Udinese. That result proved the final straw for Mimmo Caso, who was sacked and replaced by former Siena Coach Giuseppe Papadopulo.

He could not have asked for a tougher debut match at a big club, as the Derby della Capitale has become a watchword for passion and occasionally violence. Last year this tie had to be abandoned at half-time due to crowd trouble and there were appeals to have this evening game rescheduled for an afternoon kick-off to cut down on further problems. This is set to be even more fiery than ever, as both clubs are struggling and need to prove to their fans that their hearts are in the fight.

Nobody typifies that attitude more than Paolo Di Canio, who positively bleeds blue and white. The veteran is leading by example, as shown by his brace in the 3-3 draw with Lecce, and pushed his teammates to resume training a day early in preparation for this showdown.

With Caso gone, Di Canio has even more power within the club and is essentially an assistant manager on the field. Roberto Muzzi is also a Lazio fan from childhood and should partner the former West Ham star in place of Simone Inzaghi. Sebastiano Siviglia, an ex-Roma player, is suspended and makes way for Talamonti in defence.

If the situation at Lazio is hairy, then Roma aren’t doing much better. Gigi Del Neri has failed to give the team any consistency, as they go from stunning 5-1 demolitions of Parma to dismal performances against Brescia, Sampdoria and Reggina.

The real tragedy for them now is that top scorer Vincenzo Montella will be banned from taking part in the most eagerly awaited game of the season, picking up a silly yellow card for a handling offence. Del Neri could shelve the trident attack in favour of a 4-4-2 system with Francesco Totti and Antonio Cassano upfront, or push Amantino Mancini further up the field in support, while Mido and Marco Delvecchio – the man who has scored more Rome derby goals than any other – are alternative options.

Lazio (probable): Peruzzi; Oddo, Talamonti, Couto, Seric; A Filippini, Giannichedda, Dabo; Pandev, Di Canio; Muzzi

Roma (probable): Pelizzoli; Mexes, Dellas, Ferrari; Panucci, Perrotta, De Rossi, Cufre; Mancini, Totti, Cassano

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