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

Meeting for a Sunday night showdown at Stadio Olimpico, top-four contenders Roma and Juventus will fight for three precious points this weekend.

Juve have started to falter in Serie A, falling behind the Giallorossi, and they made another early Champions League exit on Wednesday.

Match preview

Sitting four points above fifth-placed Juventus, with Lombardy sides Como and Atalanta BC not far behind, Roma face a fight to secure their seat at Europe's top table.

Reigning Serie A champions Napoli - who drew 2-2 with the Giallorossi in the recent Derby del Sole - are also vying for a place in next season's Champions League, with only the two Milan clubs looking safe.

Either side of being held by the Scudetto holders, Roma have beaten Cagliari 2-0 and Cremonese 3-0, continuing some fine form at Stadio Olimpico.

The capital club have picked up 16 points from a possible 18 in their last six home fixtures, leading them to surpass Gian Piero Gasperini's stated expectations.

His well-drilled team have conceded just six goals across 13 home games so far - the best record throughout Serie A - and they have finally found a regular scorer in Donyell Malen.

Roma are also into the last 16 of the Europa League, where they will soon play domestic rivals Bologna, having skipped the playoff round by posting a top-eight finish in the league phase.

However, the Giallorossi have only claimed a couple of points from six meetings with Italy's current top five this season - eight fewer than Juventus.

Including a 2-1 victory in December's reverse fixture, Juve have beaten Roma more times than any other opponent in Serie A - and they have lost just one of the last 11 league meetings.

History will be on their side this weekend, but momentum may not, due to a worrying downturn in results.

Following consecutive defeats against Inter Milan and Como, the Bianconeri have won none of their last three league matches, after prevailing in seven of the previous nine; meanwhile, a modest tally of 46 points is their worst at this stage of any campaign since 2011.

Luciano Spalletti's ailing side also slumped out of both the Champions League and Coppa Italia during a February to forget.

Requiring a minor miracle to overturn their 5-2 first-leg deficit, Juve welcomed Turkish giants Galatasaray to Turin on Wednesday, when they finally bowed out of Europe after an enthralling two-hour epic.

Gala frittered away their three-goal lead despite the hosts going down to 10 men just after the break, when Lloyd Kelly was controversially sent off; however, having bravely forced extra time, legs began to tire and Juventus conceded twice to lose 7-5 on aggregate.

Even so, they were applauded off by a previously disgruntled home crowd, so ex-Roma coach Spalletti must hope his team can now turn a corner.

Set for his latest return to the Olimpico, Sunday's Serie A clash will have a lot riding on it for both clubs.

Roma Serie A form:

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Roma form (all competitions):

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Juventus Serie A form:

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Juventus form (all competitions):

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Team News

Roma are hopeful that former Juventus star Paulo Dybala can recover from a knee injury in time to face his old club, but Matias Soule is less likely to overcome a niggling groin problem.

The latter could join Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk on the sidelines; Spanish centre-back Mario Hermoso is also a doubt, though Stephan El Shaarawy is set to return.

Regardless of others' availability, Malen will provide a focal point for the Giallorossi's attack. Since his Serie A debut in January, he has scored more goals (five), attempted more shots (30) and had more touches in the opposition box (63) than any other player.

Meanwhile, Juve are still missing injured strikers Dusan Vlahovic and Arkadiusz Milik, leaving underperforming pair Jonathan David and Lois Openda to vie for selection up front.

After missing the Bianconeri's last two matches, Bremer could return to action on Sunday, when fellow defender Pierre Kalulu will be available after serving a controversial Serie A ban.

Juan Cabal and Andrea Cambiaso are both back in the fold after UEFA suspensions, but captain Manuel Locatelli must miss out due to accumulated yellow cards.

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Ghilardi; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Zaragoza, Pellegrini; Malen

Juventus possible starting lineup:

Perin; Kalulu, Bremer, Kelly, Cambiaso; Thuram, Koopmeiners; Conceicao, McKennie, Yildiz; David

We say: Roma 1-1 Juventus

Roma are particularly tough to beat - and score against - on home turf, so a Juventus side that played more than an hour with 10 men in midweek may set out to take a point.

That result would suit the Giallorossi, keeping them four points clear of a direct rival, but much can happen between now and the end of May.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.