Eternal rivals Lazio and Roma dreaming of the Champions League

T he Scudetto is still heading to Naples, but for one weekend Serie A belonged to the city of Rome. On Friday night Lazio toppled league leaders Napoli at their own stadium. On Sunday, Roma beat the Juventus side who would be second if it weren’t for the 15-point penalty handed them at the start of this year.

Both games followed a similar pattern in being settled by a single second-half goal. Lazio’s reward was to finish the weekend third in the table. Roma are one point behind them in joint-fourth.

Where the title race has become a procession, the scrap for Champions League places is as intense as it has been for years. Inter, in second place, are just one win ahead of Roma and Milan. Atalanta have slipped lately but remain within touching distance and Juventus could leapfrog all of them should their deduction be overturned on appeal.

Among the many potential outcomes, the possibility of both Rome clubs qualifying together stands out simply because it is so rare. Not since 2007 have Lazio and Roma played in the same edition of Europe’s top club competition. Different times, back when Goran Pandev and Tommaso Rocchi were top-scoring for the Biancocelesti, while Francesco Totti and Daniele De Rossi sparkled in red and gold.

The biggest stars of the current teams might be the managers. José Mourinho got his own mural when he joined Roma in the summer of 2021, riding a scooter with a custom logo to remind us that he was still the “Special One”. Lazio supporters updated it with an image of Maurizio Sarri blowing cigarette smoke in his face.

There is something about each of them that just seems to fit, resonating with the specific culture of their team’s fanbase. Roma’s supporters have embraced Mourinho’s demand for total