Following their 1-1 midweek draw against Feyenoord in the first leg of their Europa League playoff tie, Roma shift their focus back to the league as they go on the road to face Frosinone on Sunday evening.
The Giallorossi showed plenty of positives against Arne Slot’s men and didn’t allow last weekend’s heavy defeat against Inter to damper their performance against the Dutch side. Meanwhile, the hosts will be eager to get back to winning ways given they’ve dropped dangerously close to the relegation zone in recent weeks.
Kick-off is scheduled for 18.00 CET on Sunday evening at the Stadio Benito Stirpe.
Roma
Fresh off a strong performance in Rotterdam, Daniele De Rossi faces another important league fixture this weekend. The Giallorossi continue to battle for the fourth and final Champions League place but can’t afford to lose additional ground to Atalanta, who have a four-point advantage.
With Thursday’s return leg against the Dutch side looming, De Rossi faces a few selection dilemmas against Eusebio Di Francesco’s men—hoping to rest some of his side’s key pieces, including Paulo Dybala. The Argentinean has played significant minutes throughout the previous month and De Rossi doesn’t want to risk him ahead of Thursday’s second leg against the Dutch side. As a result, he’ll likely hand recent transfer arrival Tommaso Baldanzi his first start since joining last month from Empoli.
He’ll be joined in attack by Stephan El Shaarawy and Romelu Lukaku while Leandro Paredes, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Bryan Cristante round-out the midfield. In defence, Angelino will return to the starting lineup with Rasmus Kristensen occupying the opposite flank, allowing Rick Karsdorp to rest.
Frosinone
Former Roma player and coach Eusebio Di Francesco is set to face his former club once again on Sunday evening, hoping to turnaround his side’s recent struggles.
After initially starting the season well, Frosinone enter Sunday’s match just four points from safety. They’ve won just 1 of their previous 11 league fixtures and collected only 5 points since December. They’re also coming off two nightmarish defensive displays against Milan and Fiorentina, conceding 8 goals in total. Despite their poor form, Frosinone have been resilient at home this season—all 6 league wins having come at the Stadio Benito Stirpe.
However, Di Francesco will be forced to deal with several absences with Kevin Bonifazi, Riccardo Marchizza, Anthony Oyono, Mateus Lusuardi, Luca Garritano, and Marvin Çuni all out with injuries. Though, top-scorer and one of Serie A’s breakout players, MatÃas Soulé, is fully available.
Predicted Lineups
FROSINONE (4-2-3-1): Turati; Lirola, Monterisi, Okoli, Valeri; Barrenechea, Mazzitelli; Gelli, Soulé, Harroui; Jorge
Unavailable: Kevin Bonifazi, Riccardo Marchizza, Anthony Oyono, Mateus Lusuardi, Luca Garritano, Marvin Çuni
ROMA (4-3-3): Rui Patricio; Kristensen, Mancini, Llorente, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Baldanzi, Lukaku, El Shaarawy
Unavailable: Tammy Abraham, Chris Smalling
