Rome Mayor Calls on De Rossi to Help Roma's Champions League Bid

Gianluca Mancini spoke about Roma's push for Champions League qualification ahead of two crucial final matches. The defender attended the premiere of a documentary about Aldair, a Roma legend, where he addressed the team's ambitions. Mancini emphasized Roma's focus on controlling their own destiny in the title race, stating: "As I have said many times, we think about ourselves. We know that two matches remain, Sunday or Monday, we do not know yet, but there will be an important match, and the next one will be the same. So we are competing based on ourselves, knowing that we must make few mistakes and train hard as we are doing, to arrive at the matches as we are doing." With the derby della Capitale approaching, Roma faces a decisive window in their Champions League bid. The team's success depends on strong performances in their final two fixtures, with minimal room for error. Mancini also paid tribute to Aldair, the Roma defender from an earlier era. He said of the legend: "They told me about him, I was very small, but I saw him in videos and they told me to discover what he was, and he was truly an excellence as a defender, a phenomenon, a great. Then I also got to know him as a person and he is truly a great person. It is nice to be here tonight for him."

AS Roma has publicly taken a stance on the Derby della Capitale dispute, expressing support for fan concerns regarding the match date and kick-off time. The club stated it is working to play the derby on Sunday, signalling its alignment with supporter sentiment over fixture scheduling arrangements. The derby against SS Lazio has been subject to scheduling uncertainty, with Roma attempting to negotiate favorable conditions. The club's public statement reflects broader tensions between Italian football authorities and fan groups over fixture congestion and scheduling decisions that affect supporter attendance and participation.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will look to secure back-to-back victories over Lazio in the Derby della Capitale after Roma won the first encounter 1–0 thanks to a Lorenzo Pellegrini goal eight months earlier. The return fixture date has not yet been confirmed. Gasperini's last experience of winning both derbies in a single season came in 2009, when managing Genoa against Sampdoria, securing victories of 0–1 and 3–1 in successive matches. Since then, he has not replicated that achievement. During his time at Inter Milan, Gasperini played only one derby match and lost it in a Supercoppa final against AC Milan. The upcoming week is described as decisive both on and off the pitch for Roma. Qualification for the Champions League remains mathematically possible, though the club's fate is not entirely in their own hands. Roma would require slip-ups from both AC Milan and Juventus to secure European football. Gasperini's exuberant celebrations following recent matches have resonated strongly with supporters, strengthening the relationship between the coach and the fanbase since his arrival.