Roma will host Torino on Sunday in an effort to end their Serie A schedule for 2022 on a high note after earning just a point in each of their previous two games.
The Giallorossi take on a team that, after a midweek victory over Sampdoria, moved within two spots of them in the table in their final match before Italy’s top division ends and the World Cup takes centre stage.
Roma was back in action on Wednesday night when they travelled to Sassuolo. This was just a few days after Roma lost a tight Derby della Capitale to archrivals Lazio by a solitary goal.
Tammy Abraham, a substitute striker, gave the visitors the lead with his fourth goal of a challenging second season, but Andrea Pinamonti quickly responded from close range to earn a point for the Neroverdi.
Jose Mourinho’s team has therefore slipped outside the top four, albeit by only two points, as a result of a slow start to November. Since the end of October, they have fallen behind Inter, Juventus, and Lazio in addition to falling behind league leaders Napoli, who are already 12 points behind them.
Defeating Bulgarian champions Ludogorets on the very last day of their group stage campaign sealed a Europa League playoff matchup with RB Salzburg, to be played early the following year, which is the only recent good news for the capital club.
Roma have only failed to score once in their last 23 Serie A meetings with their opponents from 2022, despite their inconsistent domestic play and the difficulty of scoring without injured star Paulo Dybala.
In fact, the Giallorossi had triumphed in 15 of their previous 17 meetings with Torino at Stadio Olimpico prior to Sunday’s year-ending match. When the two teams have faced off in Serie A since the end of 2015, Roma has won 10 times and Torino has won three times, with the Granata’s most recent game ending in a 3-0 home loss in May.
On their previous Turin outing, however, Ivan Juric’s team performed much better. On Wednesday night, they handled business against a struggling Sampdoria team, scoring once in each half to secure all three points. Summer signings Nikola Vlasic and Radonjic both scored.
The victory not only moved Il Toro up to ninth place in the standings but also offered an immediate reprieve from their disastrous performance at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara the previous weekend, when they blew a lead during the final 30 minutes and left Bologna empty-handed.
With their lone victory coming against Udinese last month, Torino, who had gone unbeaten in seven straight Serie A away games, have now lost four of their previous five games dating back to September. Such a streak undoubtedly portends poorly for their trip to the capital, where they will meet up with club legend and current Roma player Andrea Belotti.
Roma Team News
Jose Mourinho now must determine whether to recall Tammy Abraham or even Granata’s all-time leading scorer Andrea Belotti, who scored 100 goals in 232 Serie A games for Sunday’s opponents after Jose Mourinho unexpectedly started Eldor Shomurodov in midweek.
Abraham scored against Sassuolo last time out to give himself a chance to score in consecutive Serie A games for the first time since March. However, he has yet to score a league goal at the Olimpico this season. Abraham was recently cut from England’s World Cup squad.
Although Paulo Dybala has resumed training after missing a month of action due to a muscular injury, the forward, who is headed to Qatar, is not anticipated to play for his club this week, along with Georginio Wijnaldum, Leonardo Spinazzola, and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Rui Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Celik, Cristante, Camara, Zalewski; Volpato; Zaniolo, Tammy Abraham
Torino Team News
Pietro Pellegri, a center-forward for Torino, scored his first Serie A goal against Roma in May 2017 at the age of just 16 years and 72 days. However, when he returns from injury, he will face competition from either Nikola Vlasic or Nemanja Radonjic, who both scored on Wednesday.
Due to injuries, Ola Aina, Sasa Lukic, and Perr Schuurs are all expected to miss the trip to Rome; Alessandro Buongiorno might step into Perr Schuurs’ place in the visiting back three.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Lazaro, Ricci, Linetty, Vojvoda; Miranchuk, Vlasic; Pietro Pellegri
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