Garcia targets derby glory and top spot

Roma head coach Rudi Garcia is targeting double joy with a derby victory over Lazio and first place in Serie A in his sights on Sunday.

Roma are one point adrift of joint leaders Fiorentina and Inter in the table and both of the top two sides face away games against Sampdoria and Torino.

Garcia’s men are unbeaten in their last four derbies and won 2-1 in the last meeting in May, a crucial result in their second-place finish.

“The players are motivated, they know the derby is a special match,” said Garcia.

“We want to win the match on Sunday, win the derby and recapture first place.

“I want Roma to be at 200 per cent in terms of our play and our motivation.

“We proved that we know how to start strong and make the difference straight away. We take less time to get into a game. It is better to start well, although of course games last 95 minutes and you need to be on point throughout.

“We are doing well. This will be the seventh match of an important cycle [since the last international break].

“Last time it was the penultimate game of the season and there was a different context, but we want to win because we are on home turf and we will progress in the table with a good result.”