Gian Piero Gasperini said Roma were so motivated in the race for fourth place that they would have played at any time, as he set the tone for Sunday’s Roma - Lazio derby at the Olimpico. The match is scheduled for 12 on Sunday, and Gasperini said that was not the maximum, even as the stakes remain high in the final stretch of the season.
He also pushed back on the idea that it was good programming to send all the Champions League contenders out at the same time. Roma, he said, are chasing results with much truer and stronger motivations tied to the table, while Lazio’s main drive is to stop their city rivals from reaching the target.
“We are so motivated for the race for fourth place that we would have played at any time,” Gasperini said. “The trap of a match like this? Lazio are an excellent team, they have finished the season and their only strong motivation is to prevent Roma from reaching the maximum goal.” He added that the derby is difficult for everyone.
That is where the weight of the match lands. Roma have already secured mathematical qualification for the Europa League, but they are still in the fight above that line. With two matchdays left, they are three points behind Napoli, and Gasperini said the club has already left Bologna, Atalanta and Lazio behind in the standings while still competing with Milan and Juventus. The derby sits inside that chase, not apart from it.
The backdrop also includes Paulo Dybala, whose fitness Gasperini said is fine. There are talks underway over a contract renewal, and the coach said it matters that the ownership and the player want the same thing. “It is important that both sides, ownership and player, have that idea,” he said. “I find it very positive, when there is willingness on both sides a solution can be found.”
Gasperini also joked about Maurizio Sarri’s presence at the Olimpico on Sunday and said the return of ownership figures to Rome can change the atmosphere around the club. He pointed to January, when Malen arrived after the ownership came to Rome, and said Ryan Friedkin’s presence at Trigoria means there are fewer people reporting things because direct knowledge matters for both the owners and the players.
For Gasperini, the message now is simple: Roma have the result they wanted in Europe, the league race is still open, and the fans deserve a response. “I am very grateful to the fans and I want to repay them with a good result,” he said. “My relationship with them? I would like to give the message on the field after the match.”
