Roma is seeking a derby boost against Lazio to a season that has seen its worst start in years.
''We're recovering after a poor start and Sunday we can win,'' said defender Christian Panucci.
''Lazio aren't better than us and we aren't afraid of them''.
This year's first derby sees Lazio in the unusual position, since its high-flying late-1990 years under big-spending boss Sergio Cragnotti, of looking down on its cross-city rivals from a great height.
Lazio are just two points off the Serie A lead and a win could conceivably put them top, while Roma - who like Sampdoria have played one game less than the other Serie A teams - are still struggling to move away from the relegation zone.
Roma, runners-up to Inter Milan last year, appeared to have turned the corner with their 3-1 Champions League win against Chelsea two weeks ago but were pegged back 1-1 at Bologna last Saturday.
They have eight points from ten games and are one point above the drop zone, 14 behind fourth-placed Lazio.
Inter are in top slot on 24 points from eleven games, one ahead of Napoli and AC Milan and two in front of Lazio.
Fifth-placed Juventus could join Inter if they beat seventh-placed Genoa on Thursday night in a game moved forward to free Turin's Olympic Stadium for Saturday's rugby test between Italy and Argentina.
Roma's hopes of derby success are largely pinned on captain Francesco Totti's ability to put in an unrestrained display after being hampered all season by a nagging knee problem.
Totti showed good touches in the Chelsea win and scored a blistering goal against Genoa.
The ex-Italy star has played in 23 derbies and scored six goals but his last win was in 2003.
The totemic skipper is still having separate training sessions for the knee that was operated on last year but is expected to be ''at least 80% fit'' for the derby, Roma sources said.
''I hope Totti shows his stuff. The derby for us is always like a Cup final. For years we have gone in as favourites and then we always fail to win,' said Daniele De Rossi, who is expected to play with his left wrist in plaster after falling heavily in training Thursday.
Lazio skipper Tommaso Rocchi, though not fully fit, is expected to form a three-man attack with Macedonia star Goran Pandev and Argentine Mauro Zarate.
''It's the most important match in the year. We're better positioned than the Giallorossi but that doesn't mean we're favourites,'' Rocchi said.
Rocchi recovered from injury to score twice in last week's 3-0 win over Siena. Pandev and Zarate have helped make Lazio Serie A's top-scoring side with five and seven goals a head.
France defender Philippe Mexes will definitely be back to help stem the Lazio attacks while right-side flanker Marco Cassetti should be available.
Lazio left winger Pasquale Foggia has recovered from injury but could stay on the bench unless the 'trident' misfires.
Inter visit Palermo on Saturday with the Sicilians down to 10th, eight points below the leaders, after a 1-0 defeat at Torino last week that spurred Chairman Maurizio Zamparini to call refereeing integrity into doubt.
On Sunday Milan host second-from-bottom Chievo with the hope of moving back above Inter after last week's 1-1 draw at Lecce allowed their cross-city rival to regain the lead thanks to a last-minute Julio Cruz goal against Udinese.
Napoli, joint second with Milan, travel to 11th-placed Atalanta.
Udinese, joint fifth with Juve for the moment, take on bottom club Reggina in Udine.
