Ahead of the 159th Rome derby in Serie A, both Lazio and Roma have ground to make up in Italy's top-four race, so neither can afford to drop more points on Sunday.
The Eternal City clubs convene at Stadio Olimpico for their final fixture before the international break, having already lost nine league games between them.
Following a 1-0 reverse to Bologna last weekend, the Biancocelesti have lost five times in Serie A this season, and should they lose again in this week's Derby della Capitale, they will equal their worst points tally after 12 games since the mid-1990s.
One of six sides yet to gain points from a losing position this term, Lazio are proving unable to replicate their steadfast form of 2022-23, when Immobile's goals, the imposing presence of Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and a series of clean sheets helped them finish distant runners-up to undisputed champions Napoli.
However, two weeks after suffering a 3-1 defeat to Feyenoord at De Kuip, Maurizio Sarri's men put themselves in charge of their own destiny in continental competition, and they now have the chance to overturn a deficit to their arch-rivals in the Serie A standings.
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