Roma will be looking to take advantage of closest rivals Juventus and Napoli meeting this weekend when they host newly-promoted Sassuolo on Sunday afternoon.
The Giallorossi's winning run under Rudi Garcia was ended at 10 matches by a 1-1 draw at Torino last weekend, but they still sit three points clear in Serie A after a superb start to the campaign.
Garcia will be without defensive linchpin Mehdi Benatia for the clash with Sassuolo through suspension, with Nicolas Burdisso partnering Leandro Castan at centre-back as Roma look to maintain their record of not conceding at the Stadio Olimpico this season.
Gervinho is back in contention following three weeks out with a hamstring injury but is unlikely to start, with Alessandro Florenzi and Miralem Pjanic expected to continue in wide roles supporting lone striker Marco Borriello.
Sassuolo have close to a full compliment available for Sunday's trip to the Eternal City, as they bid for back-to-back wins for the first time this season.
Simone Zaza missed their 4-3 win at Sampdoria as he sat out a ban but is back to compete with Antonio Floro Flores for a starting spot, while Domenico Berardi is a forward in form following a hat-trick last weekend.
Recent form
Roma: WWWWWD
Sassuolo: DLWDLW
Possible starting lineups
Roma: De Sanctis; Maicon, Leandro Castán, Burdisso, Balzaretti; Bradley, De Rossi, Strootman; Pjanic, Florenzi, Borriello
Sassuolo: Pegolo; Antei, Bianco, Acerbi; Schelotto, Kurtić, Magnanelli, Marrone, Longhi; Berardi, Zaza
Sports Mole says: 2-0
Liam Power
