5 AS Roma Rivalries You Need to Know About
You can’t be a prominent football club in Europe without having some longstanding rivalries, and AS Roma is no exception. In their history which has lasted for more than a century, there are certain teams in Italy that have drawn the ire of Roma fans, making their annual matches mean just a little more.
While some have become rivalries simply because of how many times they’ve met up, there are a couple that are on a personal level between fanbases. Let’s take a look at the five AS Roma rivalries you need to know about, how the club has fared in these matches, and why these clubs in particular have a higher intensity level than others.
ACF Fiorentina
There have only been three teams Roma has played more than Fiorentina, but no rivalry for Roma has been quite as even. It seems that no matter if one team is having a down year, they’ll find a way to pull out one win against the other. That’s why through the first 180 matches of their rivalry, Roma and Fiorentina would end up with 63 draws, and a 64-54 win advantage for Roma.
While each club has a bigger rival, they are two of the longest-playing rivals. Known as the Derby of Central Italy, Fiorentina and Roma started playing each other back in the 1931-32 Serie A season, with Fiorentina getting the first victory. There have only been a couple of embarrassing four-goal blowouts in the rivalry’s history, too, with most of the matches being decided by one goal (if it’s not a draw).
Juventus
While the first rivalry on the list has been slightly in Roma’s favor, the second has actually been an uphill climb. In their first 192 matches, Roma would win 47 and draw 54, with Juventus taking 91 wins. There’s no special name for this rivalry, but fans can tell when the two teams meet up that they tend to play a little faster and tougher to try and establish themselves as the top team.
In the home games for Roma, the club has actually fared quite well with 32 wins and 30 draws compared to just 27 losses. As for their road record, though, it’s a tough one to look at. Through their first 90 matches at Juventus, Roma has come away with just nine wins. Juventus, on the other hand, has gotten 59.
Internazionale
The first time that Roma faced an opponent 200 times was when they met up in the 2021-2022 Serie A season to take on Internazionale. Throughout those first 200 matches, Roma would win 57 times and draw another 57 times while Inter took home 88 victories. Both teams have an edge in their home stadiums, but Inter’s is a larger one at 47-16 compared to 35-29.
When the two clubs meet, there is usually a lot on the line. Seemingly every year, they square off in the Coppa Italia, including several finals matches. In each of those finals, Inter has ended up winning, but it has always been close.
Napoli
There are two clubs who are considered to be the truest rivals of AS Roma, and the first of them is Napoli. The two clubs play each other in the Derby Del Sole (Derby of the Sun) and have met more than 170 times since their first matches all the way back in 1928. Since then, the rivalry has been about as even as you could imagine, with Roma holding 58 wins in the first 164 matches while Napoli has 51, and 55 draws between.
Both teams have exchanged spurts in which both of them were ahead of the other, including in the early 2020s when it seemed that Napoli was incapable of losing to their rival. At the beginning of the 21st century, though, Roma went on a 10-match streak where they didn’t lose to Napoli. The clubs have also almost evenly split in higher Serie A finishes, as well.
Lazio
Anyone that’s familiar with Roma football knew that Lazio would be number one on the list, as the Derby Capitolino is the most intense rivalry in all of Italy, with both teams sharing the capital city. There have been some heated moments throughout the rivalry’s history, including one player losing his life on the pitch for the first time in Italian history as the result of fans being too rambunctious.
Roma fans see Lazio supporters as hateful people from the worst parts of society, especially as there have been Lazio fans bringing anti-semitic apparel to the matches. For those outside of Italy, Roma is certainly seen as “the good guys” in the rivalry, and they have the edge in the overall record. Through their first 167 matches, Roma came away with 61 wins and 60 draws, with just 46 wins on Lazio’s side.
