Baroni insists Lazio no longer derby favourites against Roma after Ranieri appointment

Lazio coach Marco Baroni insists that Lazio are not the clear favourites to win their derby match against Roma in Serie A on Sunday, despite having a 15 point advantage over the Giallorossi, as Claudio Ranieri has overseen an improvement in results and goals scored over the last five matches.

Baroni explains why Lazio are not favourites against Roma

Over their last five matches in Serie A, Lazio and Roma have both collected seven points from a possible 15, while Ranieri has also seen an improvement on the number of goals the Giallorossi have scored in league matches since his return to the Stadio Olimpico.

For those two reasons, and given that ‘anything can happen in a derby’, Baroni believes the two teams are billed equally heading into the Derby della Capitale.

Assessing what will be his first derby match in charge of Lazio during his pre-match press conference, Baroni said: “You live for these sorts of games. They are amazon because of all of the passion that surrounds them. It’s not just me, but the whole team must approach this game with the joy that comes with playing in a game like this.”

Explaining why there is no clear favourite heading into the derby, Baroni said: “I want to make it clear that we’re playing this match on Sunday, not two months ago.

“We have the same number of points over the last five games and they have scored twice the number of goals since Ranieri arrived. It will be a balanced duel and for this reason, it will be even more spectacular.”

He later continued: “A derby is a derby. It’s like saying that Christmas is the same as any other day. For me it isn’t, and neither is this derby.

“We will be away from home on Sunday, but I assure you that we never feel ‘away’ with our fans behind us. We feel the support of our fans, even when they are not allowed to attend matches.”