ROME // There are much more than city bragging rights on the line when Roma meets Lazio in the Rome derby on Monday.
With only two rounds remaining in Serie A, the game likely will determine which squad gains direct entry to the Uefa Champions League.
Roma enters in second, one point ahead of Lazio, and also has an easier match the next week, at home against Palermo. Lazio finishes at Napoli, who are four points behind Roma and also in the running for second.
“We have two results out of three available to us but derbies are not just played, they have to be won,” Roma coach Rudi Garcia said.
The third-place finisher enters the final play-off round for the group stage of the Champions League.
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Juventus already clinched its fourth successive title and added the Coppa Italia to its trophy case with a 2-1 win over Lazio in extra time on Wednesday.
Juventus host Napoli on Saturday and are expected to rest several key players as they seek a treble against Barcelona in the Champions League final on June 6.
Also left to be determined is which squads qualify for the Europa League. The fourth- and fifth-place finishers qualify directly for the group phase while the sixth-place team enters the third play-off round on July 30 and Aug. 8.
Lazio are looking at the positives from the Coppa Italia final. The Roman club nearly went ahead when Filip Djordjevic produced a long shot that ricocheted off both posts in the 94th minute and produced an otherwise solid performance until Alessandro Matri’s winning goal three minutes later.
Lazio coach Stefano Pioli said that his team has a match on Monday that will decide their future and said his team showed against Juventus this week that they have the ability to win it.
“Was this match the turning point for us? No, that will be Monday’s game,” he said.
“For all that we’ve shown this year I think Lazio deserves to play in the Champions League but we need to show that. We need to do well on Monday and then again at Napoli.”
Roma have won three of their past four matches and will have had more rest than Lazio. They have not played since beating Udinese 2-1 on Sunday.
Roma were upset that the derby was moved from Sunday to Monday to give Lazio more rest after the Coppa Italia final.
“But we can play Sunday, Monday or Tuesday,” Roma coach Rudi Garcia said. “It doesn’t change anything for us. We’re going to play to win, even though a draw would be just as good for us.” Perhaps the most impressive aspect of Juve’s Coppa Italia victory was that it came with the help of some key reserves.
With Alvaro Morata suspended and Fernando Llorente substituted, fourth-choice forward Matri scored the winning goal.
With captain Gianluigi Buffon looking on from the bench, Marco Storari played 120 minutes in goal — a reward for having played in the other Coppa Italia matches this season.
“It’s a characteristic of this squad to always be ready, even if you’re only going to play five or 10 minutes,” Matri said. “It’s a deserved reward for all the work done during the year.”
Napoli enters with speculation swirling over the future of coach Rafa Benitez, with reports of interest from Real Madrid and the Premier League.
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