Preview: Hellas Verona vs Roma - prediction, team news, lineups

Close to confirming their Champions League comeback, Roma can seal qualification by beating Hellas Verona at Stadio Bentegodi.

Sunday's dramatic Serie A finale will see four teams vying for two remaining places, so anything other than victory could see the Giallorossi miss out.

Match preview

Filling the final two Champions League slots as things stand, Roma and Milan lead both Juventus and Como by two points heading into the final matchday.

However, as Serie A does not initially use goal difference to split sides that finish level, a complicated picture could emerge if the Giallorossi draw while Juve and Como both win.

Points in head-to-head clashes - then goal difference in those meetings - come before overall league record is considered, which would leave Roma at risk if they slip up on Sunday evening.

Continuing a trend of failure when tackling Italy's top clubs, they have not fared well against the others this season, so head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will want to win and put qualification beyond any doubt.

Now within touching distance, Roma last finished inside the top four some eight years ago, when they last surpassed 70 points - and both are still possible at the end of Gasperini's first season.

With all teams involved having to play at the same time, familiar fixture chaos ensued last weekend, until it was finally confirmed that the Derby della Capitale would take place at high noon on Sunday.

An emphatic pair of Gianluca Mancini headers decided a typically fierce contest against Lazio, and Gasperini's side have now posted four straight wins while scoring 11 goals.

However, Roma's away record is far inferior to a stunning set of results at Stadio Olimpico, and they have lost on their last two visits to Verona.

After surviving by slim margins for most of the past seven seasons, Hellas have already seen relegation confirmed and they are bound for Serie B.

So, the Gialloblu will bid goodbye to Italy's top tier this weekend, putting the full stop on a dismal campaign.

Paolo Sammarco's side have picked up just three points from their last nine matches, despite drawing with two big-hitters this month.

After holding Juventus to a shock 1-1 result in Turin, they repeated that feat against new Serie A champions Inter Milan last time out, as Kieron Bowie again scored the Gialloblu's lone goal.

It might have been a different story had the January signing arrived last summer, as Verona have failed to find the net in 19 league matches so far.

Firing another blank would see them equal a negative club record set back in 1989, and they would also go six consecutive home games without scoring for the first time in their Serie A history.

In that context, it is no surprise that Hellas have collected just 21 points, marking their lowest top-flight total this century.

Perhaps their only ray of hope lies in precedent: though Roma triumphed in September's reverse fixture, Verona have actually won four of the last five meetings at Stadio Bentegodi.

Hellas Verona Serie A form:

L L D D L D

Roma Serie A form:

W D W W W W

Team News

Roma will go into this crucial clash without two key players, as Wesley must serve a suspension for his dismissal in the derby and Evan Ndicka has suffered a thigh injury.

Evan Ferguson (ankle) and Bryan Zaragoza (knee) are also ruled out, while Kostas Tsimikas (flu) and Lorenzo Pellegrini (muscular) are major doubts, but Manu Kone is set to return from a layoff.

Once again, Paulo Dybala, Matias Soule and Niccolo Pisilli will all vie to support Donyell Malen up front; since arriving midway through the season, the latter has scored 13 times in 17 league appearances.

Now fit again, Dybala has provided an assist in both of his last two games and could sign a new contract if Champions League qualification is confirmed.

A rare shining light amid endless gloom at the Bentegodi, Bowie has scored all of Verona's last four goals - albeit that was not enough to make Scotland's World Cup squad.

Seven-goal striker Gift Orban is still out in the cold due to disciplinary reasons, while Hellas have several other men sidelined.

Not only is Roberto Gagliardini suspended for Sunday's Serie A farewell, but Suat Serdar, Daniel Mosquera and Daniel Oyegoke are all injured.

Hellas Verona possible starting lineup:

Montipo; Edmundsson, Nelsson, Valentini; Belghali, Akpa Akpro, Lovric, Bernede, Frese; Suslov; Bowie

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Hermoso, Ghilardi; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Rensch; Pisilli, Dybala; Malen