Victor Osimhen has been in lethal form this season, and not many teams have been able to stop him, as Roma learned in the capital earlier this season. With 13 goals to his name already, he’s two clear of countryman Ademola Lookman in the race to be crowned capocannoniere – Serie A’s top goalscorer – from just 15 appearances.

Taking assists into account as well – he has three – he’s averaging more than one direct goal involvement per game, and is scoring, on average, every 96 minutes.

With both Khvicha Kvaratskhelia (seven) and Mario Rui (six) being in Serie A’s top-five assist makers this season as well, it’s hard to imagine that Osimhen will struggle for chances even against a decent Roma defence. He puts more of his efforts on target than not as well, so even a sniff at goal could spell danger for the Giallorossi – as they learned in Rome when he finished emphatically from an improbable position.

Paulo Dybala is playing with the swagger of a man who returned to his club as a World Cup winner after the winter break, and La Joya has been a joy to watch since the restart in 2023. With Tammy Abraham by his side, Roma fans have been treated to what is becoming one of the most feared frontlines in Italian football.

Despite missing plenty of minutes through injury this season, Dybala comes in third in the list of Roma shot takers this term with 33. That places him just behind Lorenzo Pellegrini’s 35 and Abraham’s 40. Those 33 shots have come in only 13 appearances, meaning he’s averaging above 2.5 shots per game.

While Roma may struggle for as much possession as they might usually expect to have, Dybala is their biggest threat and he’ll want to make Alex Meret work

Although the origins of the Derby del Sole were largely friendly back in the 1980s, things took a turn and there has been a noticeable level of spice in the fixture since. Add a fiery Jose Mourinho and a Luciano Spalletti taking on a former club into the mix, and we should be in for a heated affair in the shadows of Vesuvius.

The tension is going to be palpable from both sides and, if the season’s earlier meeting of the two is anything to go by, that will bring cards.

Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez, Bryan Cristante, Mathias Olivera, Stanislav Lobotka, Tanguy Ndombele, and Hirving Lozano all found themselves in the referee’s notebook back in October, totalling seven cards being shown and all of those were before the stakes rose with Victor Osimhen’s 80th-minute winner. In Naples, over 4.5 cards to be shown should be a relatively safe bet.