AS Roma was Italy's third and final qualifiers for the second round of the Champions League and enters the game against Lazio on a six-game winning streak. However, captain Francesco Totti may miss out because of an ankle injury.

Roma advanced to the knockout stage of the Champions League for the first time, beating Valencia 1-0 Tuesday on a goal by Christian Panucci. Serie A leader Inter Milan and AC Milan had already advanced.

Inter leads the league with 36 points, followed by Roma with 32 and Palermo with 28.

Inter takes a 12-match unbeaten streak into its game at Empoli, while Palermo hosts fourth-place Livorno on Saturday (GolTV, 4 p.m. ET).

Milan, still struggling with its eight-point penalty from the Italian match-fixing scandal, is languishing in 15th place and hosts Torino.

The scenario for the Roman derby is much like that of the last one in February, which Roma won 2-0 a week after Totti fractured his fibula and strained ligaments in his left ankle. The win was Roma's 11th straight, which set an Italian league record.

Brazilian winger Rodrigo Taddei scored the first goal in February's game.

``That goal is the past. I've got to think about my next goal,'' Taddei said, adding that Roma will be ready whether Totti plays or not. ``I hope he recuperates, but if he doesn't we're going to have to help whoever takes his place.''

Totti's latest injury is to his right ankle, not the one he injured in February.

Totti hurried back from surgery and took part in Italy's World Cup victory in July. Roma physician Mario Brozzi thinks he'll make it back for the Lazio game too.

``Knowing Francesco, he would even play with only one ankle,'' Brozzi said. ``It's tough to prevent him from playing.''

Brozzi added that a final decision on Totti's status would be made Saturday or Sunday.

Lazio has several options in attack, with Tommaso Rocchi, Goran Pandev and Stephen Makinwa all having scored this season.

Totti said he was most worried about Lazio goalkeeper Angelo Peruzzi.

``When he's on, nothing gets by him,'' Totti said.

Lazio has climbed up the standings to seventh place, helped in part by the reduction of its scandal penalty from 11 points to three by an arbitration board in October.

As for the fans, Lazio's ultras have announced they won't display any derogatory banners for their rivals out of appreciation for the respect that their counterparts showed for four jailed Lazio ultra leaders.

Inter will be without suspended midfielder Patrick Vieira, who scored in a 1-1 draw with Bayern Munich on Tuesday. Striker Adriano and defender Ivan Cordoba are working their way back from injuries and could be available.

In Serie B, Juventus hosts Verona with another chance to move into first place. Juve is tied with Bologna, one point behind league-leader Napoli, which plays at Cesena on Monday.

Juventus midfielder Pavel Nedved was suspended for five games for stepping on the referee after being red-carded in a 1-1 draw with Genoa last week. Juventus captain Alessandro Del Piero is slated to return to injury.