Saturday Showdowns

On Saturday October 14^th, in their seventh week of matches, Serie A bolsters two of the most scintillating match ups of the season. At 12:00 eastern time, our most recent rival and our oldest rival face off in a match that can shake up the top 5 positions in the league. Juventus vs. Lazio- I can’t decide who I want to watch lose more. In the early goings of the season Juventus sits in second with 19 points, two points behind Napoli while Lazio is in fourth, 1 point ahead of Roma (with an extra game) and three behind Juve.

What does each result mean for Roma?

Although it is still early in the season, this game could have many repercussions for the present and future of the table. Lazio recently defeated Juve in the Supercoppa, having lost 5/5 of their most recent meetings.

Lazio Loss

A Juventus win is always a sad sight to behold, but if the pessimists are correct, and we are destined for a fourth place finish, then a Lazio loss could prove to be more crucial than a Juve loss. As a more direct rival for that fourth place spot, a Lazio loss could put Roma in a better position in the final stretch.

Juventus Loss

Juventus is a goliath, and I think we are all ready to watch their fall from grace. With a stout defense, and the Dybala/ Higuain scoring powerhouses, Juve don’t look like they will be dropping too many points. If Roma are pushing for a Scudetto win, a Juve loss may give us the opportunity come week 38.

A Tie

For us Romanista, a split in points may seem like the ideal situation. Giving up two points would keep both Lazio and Juve within catching distance for Roma. Sitting on a respectable 15 points after 6 games, with two wins Roma will be sitting on 21 points. While Juve currently have 19 points and Lazio 16, a tie will put them at 20 and 17 points respectively. Any time I see Roma above Lazio and Juve in the table, it is a good week.

Player to watch- Ciro Immobile

The 27 year old Italian striker is on fire for Lazio this year. Immobile has a healthy 9 goals for the goats in 7 league games. He is sitting behind Paolo Dybala (10) and ahead of Edin Dzeko (7) in the race for Capocannoniere. If anyone is going to give Lazio a chance to steal some points, it is this Napoli native.

Roma- Napoli

After the old lady dances with the goat, the two most prolific teams of last season face off in a clash that promises excitement. Roma vs. Napoli is, for a neutral footy fan, the most exciting game Serie A has to offer. With a combined 184 goals last season, Roma and Napoli helped Serie A to be the highest scoring league amongst the top 5 leagues.

Of course for the Roma and Napoli fans, this match goes beyond the pure excitement. This match will dictate who of the two will dethrone Juventus (assuming anyone does…Inter “No Europe” Milan aside). This match will leave us with our hearts in our throats for 90+ minutes. This match will bring out our Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. This match will validate a summer of tumultuous trades or expose our defensive weaknesses…or both. I will leave the speculation for this match for the comments. But I will say that Roma has won 4 out of the last 5 meetings against Napoli.

At 2:45 pm (eastern time), against the backdrop of a blood soaked coliseum floor, Roma takes the ultimate test against a worthy opponent. This game will receive it’s own post of course, but for now, Forza Roma.

Oh…and Inter plays Milan on Sunday.