Three Key Battles: Where the derby could be decided

With both sides looking to push into contention at the top of the table as the 2020-21 campaign approaches the halfway point, the absence of fans will not diminish the importance of the fixture at the Stadio Olimpico - which gets underway at 20:45 local time.

Ahead of kick-off, we take a look at three key areas where the game could be decided...

First Half v. Second Half

As has been the case a lot this season, the Giallorossi have been on fire in the first half of games but seemed to drop off at the beginning of the second half, something in evidence once again on Sunday against Inter.

This could be the chance for Paulo Fonseca and his players to change that narrative, especially seeing how Lazio have scored nine goals (33 percent of their total) in the first 15 minutes of the second half, their preferred time to strike.

Lazio also get off on the right foot a lot, tallying six goals in the first 15 minutes of matches - accounting for 22 percent of their total output.

A good sign for Roma is that their rivals have conceded the most goals in the final 15 minutes of the first half (seven), when the Giallorossi are often at their most dangerous, with 11 goals scored in that frame (30 percent of their total).

Overall Roma’s attack seems to be running more smoothly this season with more attacking plays (630), and shots on goal (116) compared to Inzaghi’s sides attacking plays (572) and shots on target (82), another good sign for Fonseca’s men.

The Midfield Battle: Jordan Veretout vs Sergej Milinkovic-Savic

Jordan Veretout is having a great season, with seven goals and 25 shots recorded already, and all four of his penalties converted from the spot. Roma’s box-to-box midfielder will need to have one of the performances Roma fans have gotten used to seeing - both to hamper Lazio’s offensive play, and to get the Giallorossi going the other way with their clinical counterattacks.

One need look no further than the Inter game, with Veretout winning the ball off Barella before starting the counter that led to Lorenzo Pellegrini’s opening goal, for the impact the French midfielder can have.

Sergej Milinkovic-Savic, on the other hand, is having a quiet goal-scoring season by his standards, with three goals so far this season, but has helped his team out in more ways than one, with five assists. He is Lazio’s midfield machine and if Veretout, along with likely midfield partner Gonzalo Villar, can keep him quiet, it will give Roma a great chance to dominate play.

A physically strong player, hard to get off the ball, it will be important for Roma to nullify Milinkovic-Savic in the middle of the park. The fight for dominance in the middle of the pitch is often critical in tight games, like most derbies are.

Forward Battle: Henrikh Mkhitaryan v. Ciro Immobile

Of course we could talk about Edin Dzeko, Roma’s all-around striker, but this year Mkhitaryan is on fire, and is undoubtedly one to watch in his first derby (after arriving too late for the first derby of last season, he was then injured for the second).

Although he is technically a midfielder, he plays all over the pitch working hard for the team both on and off the ball, making him a fan favorite with the Giallorossi. The Armenian is also one of only two players in Europe’s top-five leagues with at least 8 goals and 8 assists so far this season, along with Tottenham Hotspur striker Harry Kane.

He gets in front of goal almost at will, and with his impressive dribbling speed he has created 22 scoring chances, with 46 shots to his name.

The obvious contender for Lazio upfront is their goal-scoring machine Ciro Immobile, who has netted 11 times so far this season, an impressive 41 per cent of his team’s entire goal-scoring output. Immobile has also converted three penalties and had one saved against AC Milan.

The Italian striker has gone for goal 42 times already this season, and has two assists as well as four chances created in the first half of the season.

He is Lazio’s talisman and often carries the team through thick and thin, and will need to be shut down on Friday night.