Lazio coach Edy Reja's wife has ignored the club's media ban ahead of today's Rome derby.

Livia Reja admits her husband is nervous going into the game against Roma.

"My husband feels the lead-up to the derby and it is a special moment. I can see he is very tense," Livia told Corriere dello Sport after 41 years of marriage.

"It'll be his first derby and to reach it at his age is an impressive feat. The players care for him, as he has a nice personality and knows how to mix with young people."

Reja took over mid-season from Davide Ballardini, quitting a job he already had with Croatian side Hajduk Split.

"When the offer from Lazio came, it was difficult to leave Split and he was torn. He had found a good working environment and didn't know how to decide.

"Personally I thought that he would retire after the experience at Napoli. He often asks for my advice, but always ends up making his own decisions.

"I don't know if he will stay on at Lazio next season. He loves his work too much and wouldn't know how to stay away from football, but it's still too early to decide."