Preview:Cremonese vs Roma - prediction, team news, lineups

Surprise Serie A title contenders Roma will resume their campaign on Sunday afternoon, when they visit mid-table Cremonese.

The Giallorossi can move clear of both Milan clubs just before the Derby della Madonnina kicks off, as victory at Stadio Zini would take them top of the table.

Match preview

Keeping pace with several Scudetto hopefuls, Roma have won eight of 11 league games so far, including a 2-0 home triumph over Udinese just before the international break.

Goals from Lorenzo Pellegrini and Zeki Celik saw the capital club post back-to-back wins in the space of three days, after beating Rangers at Ibrox in the Europa League.

Previously, Roma had suffered a rare away defeat: losing 1-0 to AC Milan ended a five-game success streak on the road, so they are intent on starting another run this weekend.

Next week, the Giallorossi will be put through two tough tests of their credentials, as Thursday’s clash against Europa League leaders Midtjylland is quickly followed by a Serie A showdown with reigning champions Napoli.

First, though, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men must face a solid side who have lost just three league games, knowing victory would elevate them to first place - for a few hours, at least.

Despite their relatively modest standing, Cremonese have actually won two of the last three meetings with Roma across all competitions, twice prevailing by the same 2-1 scoreline in February 2023.

While the Grigiorossi were unexpectedly victorious in both league and cup that winter, they did lose the most recent encounter: a Coppa Italia tie at Stadio Olimpico early last year.

The Lombardy side come into this week’s contest on the back of an impressive start to their comeback campaign, with last term’s Serie B playoff winners sitting safely in mid-table after 11 matches.

Though Cremonese were beaten 1-0 by fellow promoted club Pisa last time out, leaving them on 14 points, they remain comfortably clear of the drop zone under the watch of top-flight survival specialist Davide Nicola.

Upcoming games against two of Italy’s form sides - Roma and Bologna - may prove challenging, but Cremo have already built up a useful cushion, and they boast a dangerous attack featuring veteran goal-poacher Jamie Vardy.

Cremonese Serie A form:

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Roma Serie A form:

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Roma form (all competitions):

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Team News

Roma’s success has come despite ongoing woes up front, as injuries and sub-par form have plagued their strikers: most notably, star man Paulo Dybala is still sidelined.

Meanwhile, Mario Hermoso, Leon Bailey and Angelino are all ruled out, further restricting Gasperini’s options.

Evan Ferguson was unable to play for the Republic of Ireland this month, but he could be ready to replace Artem Dovbyk, who missed Ukraine’s World Cup qualifiers with a thigh problem.

Matias Soule is the Giallorossi’s three-goal top scorer in Serie A, while Cremonese's Federico Bonazzoli has netted four times so far - two secured victory over Genoa, and another strike conquered AC Milan.

The latter is favourite to join Vardy up front, though Franco Vazquez was preferred against Pisa, and Paraguay striker Antonio Sanabria is another contender.

On the left side of Nicola’s familiar 3-5-2 formation, Mikayil Faye is struggling with a sprained ankle and could make way for fit-again Giuseppe Pezzella.

The hosts will also be missing Alberto Grassi, Faris Moumbagna and Michele Collocolo through injury; Alessio Zerbin remains a doubt.

Cremonese possible starting lineup:

Audero; Terracciano, Baschirotto, Bianchetti; Barbieri, Payero, Bondo, Vandeputte, Pezzella; Bonazzoli, Vardy

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Ziolkowski, Mancini, Ndicka; Celik, Kone, Cristante, Wesley; Soule, Pellegrini; Ferguson