European football matchday: AS Roma visit Lazio in capital derby; Leverkusen away at surprise package Union Berlin – Sports News , Firstpost

Roma’s Gianluca Mancini is congratulated by teammates after he scored his side’s second goal against Inter Milan. AP Photo

A look at what’s happening around European football on Friday:

ITALY

Roma will be looking to put pressure on the top two in Serie A when they visit Lazio in the capital derby. Roma are third in the standings, three points behind Inter Milan and six below league leaders AC Milan. Roma drew against Inter in their last match, which came on the back of three successive victories. However, Lazio are finding their feet after injuries and Champions League commitments took their toll. Lazio have won their past two matches and risen to eighth in the league, five points below the top four.

GERMANY

Third-place Bayer Leverkusen face a tough task away at Union Berlin, who are exceeding all expectations in fifth after a strong start to the season. Leverkusen were briefly the Bundesliga leaders last month but haven’t won any of their three league games since, though there was a morale-boosting 4-1 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the cup on Tuesday.

It will be Leverkusen’s first game since completing the signing of Dutch defender Timothy Fosu-Mensah from Manchester United on Wednesday. Injuries to other players mean he could make his debut against Union.

FRANCE

Monaco travel to play Montpellier with their attack clicking after 10 goals in three games. Coach Niko Kovac took a while to find the right balance in his first season in charge. But he seems to have figured out how to use France striker Wissam Ben Yedder and German forward Kevin Volland as a front pairing. Volland has netted in his past four games, and the return of attacking midfielder Aleksandr Golovin from injury should also help Monaco’s push to break into the top three.

Monaco are in fourth place and can close the gap on third-place Lille to three points if they win at Stade de la Mosson, where Montpellier’s home form has been less strong than in recent seasons.