* Lazio’s 2-0 defeat to Roma last weekend saw them slip to fifth in Serie A with 51 points from 29 matches, two points off the final Champions League position.
* The Aquile’s defeat to their arch-rivals was their fifth successive loss in the Rome derby, a run that also includes a defeat in the Coppa Italia earlier this year.
* Along with Inter, Edy Reja’s side have mustered the highest number of victories at home in Serie A this season (10).
* In the reverse fixture the Biancocelesti lost 1-0 in Cesena. That came after defeat to Roma and victory over Palermo. Heading into Saturday’s match, the Roman side have defeated the Sicilians and lost to the Lupi in their last two matches.
* Lazio will be without the services of Stefan Radu, Cristian Ledesma and Stephan Lichtsteiner, all of whom are suspended.
* Cesena are currently placed one spot above the bottom three in 17th with 29 points from as many matches, a point above the relegation zone.
* The Seahorses are unbeaten in their last four Serie A fixtures, having defeated Chievo and Sampdoria and drawn with Parma and Juventus in this period.
* Massimo Ficcadenti’s side have won just twice on the road in the league this season but their last away match ended in a 3-2 victory over Sampdoria in Genoa.
* The Emilia-Romagna club have conceded 40 goals in the league this campaign, out of which 23 have been shipped in 14 away encounters.
* Cesena will be without the services of Emanuele Giaccherini against Lazio as he is suspended.
LAST MEETING
November 10, 2010: Cesena 1-0 Lazio
Marco Parolo scored for the Seahorses five minutes from normal time to give his side a 1-0 victory over Lazio, which saw the Aquile lose their grasp on pole position in the table. His shot from outside the penalty area proved to be the difference between the two teams.
PROBABLE LINE-UPS
Lazio: Muslera; Scaloni, Biava, Dias, Garrido; Brocchi, Matuzalem; Mauri, Hernanes, Zarate; Kozak
Cesena: Antonioli; Ceccarelli, Pellegrino, Von Bergen, Lauro; Caserta, Colucci, Parolo; Jimenez; Bogdani, Malonga
Prediction
Lazio will aim to return to winning ways after their loss to Roma last weekend. It will be interesting to see whether the Aquile have recovered psychologically, but against lowly placed Cesena they should be confident of mustering the points.
Lazio 2-0 Cesena 
