Gasperini on Lazio vs. Roma: ‘The derbies you remember are the ones you win’ | OneFootball

Gian Piero Gasperini has made it clear that he wants nothing less than a victory from his Roma players when they take on archrivals Lazio in the Derby della Capitale in Serie A on Sunday: ‘The derbies you remember are the ones you win’.

Roma will take on Lazio at the Stadio Olimpico in the first Derby della Capitale of the season on Sunday, in the early kick-off slot of 11.30 BST.

Gasperini on Lazio vs. Roma, Dovbyk, Pellegrini, Tsimikas and El-Aynaoui

Gasperini feels that it is a bit ‘unusual’ that the derby has fallen so early on in the season, but is not overly concerned, as he thinks that both sides are still building and improving in the early stages of the 2025-26 campaign.

“The derbies you remember are the ones you win,” Gasperini said at the beginning of his pre-match press conference on Saturday.

ROME, ITALY – AUGUST 23: Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of AS Roma, looks on prior to the Serie A match between AS Roma and Bologna FC 1909 at Stadio Olimpico on August 23, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

“You don’t remember the ones you draw. The ones you lose, you forget quickly. In the end, the only thing that we remember are the victories.

“It’s true that we’re playing in the fourth round of fixtures, but we’re still right at the very start of the season. It’s a bit unusual, derbies are usually played a bit later on. But this is also a phase where teams are more focused on building, on improving, so that’s okay.

“Lazio are a very good team, with a great coach who has done well wherever he has gone. They haven’t had a crazy transfer window this year, but they haven’t sold anyone either. They’ve remained basically the same as last year, when they were already achieving good results, maybe aside from the last two months.

“I have respect for his team, both as a collective and for some individual players. It’s definitely going to be a high-level match.”

Gasperini was asked if, of all his previous battles with Sarri, whether this one will be his biggest challenge.

He replied: “Look, right now I’m focused on the present, I can’t keep going back to the past. This is a massive challenge and I will try to bring the experience that I’ve accumulated over my career to Roma. It’s what pushed me and motivated me to take this option.”

Gasperini also provided updates on the likes of Artem Dovbyk, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Tommaso Baldanzi, who have either been under pressure, or have struggled for game time since Gasp took over at the start of the season.

“Players like Dovbyk, Pellegrini and Baldanzi stayed here, when they had seemed to be on their way out. I have to bring them all back in. Now I look to the future, I need everyone at their best. Dovbyk needs to do well, Pellegrini very well, Baldanzi needs to give what he can, and sso do the others.

“We have 22 or 23 players, we have to get the most out of them for our next games.”

And on new recruit Kostas Tsimikas, and whether he will feature against Lazio on Sunday, Gasperini said: “Tsimikas arrived from his national team and immediately joined the group when he had his first sessions last Tuesday and Wednesday. Now we’ve got Lazio, then Nice, Verona, Lille and Fiorentina. He will play. I don’t know when, but he will get on the pitch and play.

Kostas Tsimikas joins Roma from Liverpool on loan (asroma.com)

“He arrived a week ago. You need a bit of time to get to know each other, your new teammates and opponents. Maybe (he will play) from the start tomorrow, maybe he comes on during the game, I don’t know. But he is a player we have no doubts about: Sooner or later, he will play.”

And on summer signing Neil El Aynaoui, Gasperini said: “He played in a slightly more advanced role in the last game, which is not easy to do. For me, he can cover in all three midfield roles. It’s the same when we play with two midfielders or with three, he’s a flexible, dynamic player who can adapt to every position.”