Rudi Garcia believes Roma head into tomorrow’s derby with Lazio as the underdogs but hopes his side can upset the odds and win this crucial match to secure second place and Champions League football for next season. “We want to make sure tomorrow is the last game that really matters for us this season,” the Giallorossi boss told reporters at a media conference on the eve of Monday’s 18:00 CET derby clash.

FORM AND DERBY FAVORITES
“The guys are in good shape and they’ve trained well this week. Nearly everyone is saying Lazio are favorites to win the game, that they’re the better team, that they play the best football in Italy, but we’ll set out to win it all the same. People saying Lazio have already won it just motivates us even more. It will be two top sides battling it out and fortunately we’ll have the best referee in Italy – perhaps the world – in charge. Lazio won their last game with a goal that should have been disallowed after complaining about their home defeat to Inter. This time we’ll all start on a level playing field.”

MAICON’S RETURN
“We still have another training session today and if he comes through it all ok – as I expect him to – he’ll make the squad for tomorrow’s match.”

NEW FORMATION?
“What can I say? Anything is possible. I have my idea about how I want to play and I hope it’s the right one.”

IMPORTANCE OF THIS DERBY
“This is the most important game because it’s the next one but it’s not the most important since I’ve been here. It’s not a final for us but we want to make sure it’s the last game that really matters this season. We’re in this job because we want to be involved in certain matches. You can’t compare this to others from the past. We want to win it and wrap up the season now. The difference is that we’ll be the ‘away’ team; we were at home for my first derby. We’ll give our all for these colors and for our fans. We have the opportunity to win this one and not have to go to the last match of the season. We’ll do everything possible to get the three points and hopefully everyone will get behind us and propel us on to the win. We’re determined to get this one right. We want second place, it’s as simple as that.”

FUTURE
“Now is not the time to take stock or talk about the future. This little match we have to play is more than enough for us to focus our attention on for now.”

ROMANS AND THE ROME DERBY
“It’s not just the fans who get completely caught up in this match; our thoughts are on nothing else either. The derby is always a great match to play in, for everyone. I think having Romans and Romanisti playing for us is an advantage.”