After a midweek setback in Europe, Roma return to Serie A duty on Sunday night, when recently revived Hellas Verona are the visitors at Stadio Olimpico.
Held in Lecce last week and then beaten by RB Salzburg, the Giallorossi's fine start to 2023 is in danger of losing momentum. Meanwhile, Verona's recovery continued on Monday, as they edged out relegation rivals Salernitana.
Match preview
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When last Saturday's trip to Stadio Via del Mare resulted in a share of the spoils following a 1-1 draw with Lecce, not only did Roma slip to fourth in the table but also failed to win for the fourth time in their last five away games.
That story of woe continued at Salzburg's Red Bull Arena four days later, when Jose Mourinho's men saw their ambitions of advancing to the next round of the Europa League take a hit due to a first-leg defeat in Austria.
Seemingly set for an acceptable goalless draw to take back to the Italian capital for next week's return, conceding in the 88th minute leaves hopes of emulating last term's Europa Conference League triumph in some jeopardy.
While the going has been tough away from home, Roma return to base for their next two fixtures, having won each of their last three at Stadio Olimpico in Serie A without conceding a single goal - that matches the club's best such run since 2014.
Furthermore, Sunday's hosts are unbeaten in 25 league games at home to Verona - winning 19 times in the process - so precedent is firmly stacked in their favour as well.
Finishing in the top four will be Mourinho's main aim for the rest of the season, notwithstanding dreams of adding another continental trophy to his collection, so victories over Serie A strugglers are surely essential if Roma are to compete with four other sides vying for three slots behind Napoli.
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Much has changed since Verona's 3-1 loss in October's reverse fixture, when Pawel Dawidowicz was sent off in the first half only 10 minutes after opening the scoring, and recent form suggests the Scaligeri could be in with a shout of upsetting their capital city counterparts this weekend.
Hellas have rapidly closed the gap between themselves and safety to a mere two points since Marco Zaffaroni took charge during the winter break, and Monday's 1-0 win over 16th-placed Salernitana continued their ascent towards Serie A salvation.
An unlikely hero has emerged over the past two matchdays, as Cyril Ngonge followed up an equaliser against Lazio on his full debut for the club by scoring again after half an hour at Stadio Bentegodi - that proved enough to secure three precious points by the final whistle.
As a result, Verona have picked up 12 points from seven rounds of Serie A action in 2023, and during that period their haul is bettered only by the current top four, plus Monza and Juventus.
Certainly, the threat of returning to Serie B still looms large, but conceding just four goals this year demonstrates remarkable progress under Zaffaroni. Roma could put that record to the test, though, as only Napoli have scored more via set pieces this season than their tally of 13 - including each of their last three.
Team News
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After Paulo Dybala was forced off at half time in Roma's defeat to Salzburg, fears of a serious injury have subsided, but a thigh problem is still expected to see the World Cup winner sidelined on Sunday.
Dybala already has eight goals and six assists in 16 league appearances this season, so is not easily replaced, but Stephan El Shaarawy will most likely shift forward to support Tammy Abraham up front, with Zeki Celik then coming in on the right flank; Nicola Zalewski would switch to the left.
Having made a steady comeback following his recovery from a broken leg, Georginio Wijnaldum could make his first start since returning, as Jose Mourinho freshens up his midfield with next Thursday's game also in mind, but young Edoardo Bove is also in contention.
As Cyril Ngonge has scored in both of his first two Serie A starts, the Belgian striker could now become only the second Verona player this century to find the net in each of his first three.
He joins Darko Lazovic in starting behind the Gialloblu's central striker, which should be either January signing Adolfo Gaich or Kevin Lasagna, as Milan Djuric is still struggling with a muscular problem and Thomas Henry saw his season ended by an ACL injury last month.
Miguel Veloso and Ibrahim Sulemana could be missing from Marco Zaffaroni's midfield options too, so the visitors' engine room should stay unchanged.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Kumbulla, Ibanez; Celik, Cristante, Bove, Zalewski; Pellegrini, El Shaarawy; Belotti
Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:
Montipo; Magnani, Hien, Coppola; Depaoli, Tameze, Duda, Doig; Ngonge, Lazovic; Gaich
We say: Roma 1-1 Hellas Verona
Surely a close-fought tussle is on the cards in Rome, as neither side gives much way at the back these days - and they rarely score more than once themselves. As Roma may be distracted by European commitments, and their star man appears to be unavailable, Verona can nick a point at the Olimpico and boost their survival hopes still further.
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Top tip
Jonathan O'Shea
