SS Lazio midfielder Cristian Ledesma is aware of the threat posed by the AS Roma team that has been out of form for quite some time and he is afraid that they might just pick the derby match against their city rivals to come back to form. It is this backlash that worries Ledesma, one of the key figures in The Blues lineup this season, who are currently sitting on third position in the Italian League standings, seven points ahead of their city rivals.

And Ledesma knows that a victory against The Wolves is more than certain to qualify them for next season’s UEFA Champions League.

But Ledesma and his teammates know that AS Roma cannot afford to lose this match against them because a loss would more or less end their dreams of playing in the UEFA Champions League next season and the 29 year old Argentine midfielder knows that form counts for nothing in the Derby of the Capital, having played in 12 Rome derbies.

But Ledesma believes that SS Lazio have what it takes to shut out their neighbors and hold on to the third position that is more or less certain to assure them of a Champions League berth. Ledesma also spoke fondly of the Rome derby, which he believes is an extremely special game and any professional footballer would not quite have seen it all if he hasn’t played in a Rome derby. AS Roma are almost certain to bring back talismanic midfielder Daniele de Rossi to the side after dropping him for the game against Atalanta and Ledesma is excited at the prospect of facing his old enemy on the field.

SS Lazio and AS Roma matches are always special and it is the characters like de Rossi and Ledesma that add the spark to the rivalry and with both of them in line for a start, a fiery match is on the cards.