AS Roma vs. Lazio - Calcio's fiercest derby.

Derby Della Capitale like other rivalries can be showcased in a fashion that brings together politics, football, history and lifestyle. The rivalry between AS Roma and Lazio can be linked to Benito Mussolini's desire to end Calcio dominance by teams from the Northern regions of Italy. The dictator ordered teams from the Rome region to fold up and craft a superior team capable of competing with Inter Milan, Juventus and AC Milan - all northern entities. Several teams heeded the call and as a result, AS Roma was formed. However, Lazio refused to fold up and hence the rivalry started. In this regard, Lazio consider themselves the zenith of Rome for the reason that AS Roma was only formed on the behest of Mussolini's efforts years later. The formation of AS Roma was widely interpreted as a government initiative by Lazio fans who read malice on Mussolini's efforts. Lazio quickly became associated with countryside regions while AS Roma was heralded as the perfect capital club. Symbols and mascots of the two clubs signify a story line that offers more significance to political and historical occurrences. AS Roma's uses the wolf as their symbol. This is significant in that the animal is closely linked to Mars or the god of war. It then happens that Mars was the father to both Remus and Romulus - founders of the Rome city. By doing so, AS Roma have successfully etched their works on the city's history hence relegating Lazio to the periphery. Lazio on the other hand utilize the eagle as their mascot. It should be noted that the eagle is a sacred entity of Jupiter. The derby has produced magical moments as well as a fair slice of controversy. Paolo Di Canio - then playing for Lazio, made a fascist salute after scoring against AS Roma. The Italian firebrand would repeat the gesture again when he saluted Livorno fans - a club associated with left-wing politics. The fact that both AS Roma and Lazio occupy top positions in the Italian Serie A only helps to escalate the tempo of today's derby. Today's clash between the two Rome rivals at the Stadio Olimpico presents a glorious chance for brazen arrogance, political ideologies as regards the Italian administration and Roman bragging rights in general. The only aspect that the two teams share is the hate for Northern team - Milan and Juventus, attributable to the perceived annoyance of the two outfits. It is ironic that both teams share the Stadio Olimpico. While AS Roma draws its fan base largely from the popular residences of the capital, Lazio counts on the rich Roman populace. Divergent political opinions between the two Roman powerhouses augment the rivalry to unthinkable proportions. Despite limited success in the Italian league, it was ironic that AS Roma won the championship in 2001 after they wrestled if from Lazio who had won it the previous year. Lazio fans generally prescribed to the right-wing ideals while left-wing ideologies formed the bedrock of AS Roma fans. In this regard, the Eternal City gets divided along diverse fan bases - Giallorosso and Biancoceleste. Although Rudi Garcia will miss the services of Gervinho and Seydou Keita as a result of the AFCON campaign, Miralem Pjanic, Daniele de Rossi, Kevin Strootman and Radja Nainggolan should offer more depth. The Ivorian's absence should benefit Juan Iturbe - the Argentine's heroics with Hellas Verona earned him a move to the capital. Adem Ljajic and Alessandro Florenzi should offer weaponry upfront. Francesco Totti's experience and creativity gives an extra edge to the Giallorosso. On the other hand, Stefano Pioli will miss the precious of Senad Lulic, as the Bosnian faces lengthy periods on the sidelines. However, Felipe Anderson, Antonio Candreva, Ogenyi Onazi, Stefano Mauri, Dusan Basta, Filip Djordjevic and Marco Parolo should make the team. The Aquile hope that Felipe Anderson can continue with his blistering form. Arne Selmosson remains the only player to have scored for both teams against each other. May the best team win the Derby Capitolino!