Roma have a chance to reignite their chase for a Champions League place following their huge win last Saturday over Atalanta.
The Giallorossi host Sampdoria this evening at the Stadio Olimpico and have an opportunity to gain even more ground on La Dea, who dropped two more points yesterday versus Genoa.
A victory tonight would propel Roma to just four points behind fourth-placed Atalanta, giving them a significant boost entering the winter break.
Manager José Mourinho is expected to use the same lineup from Saturday’s win with Nicolo Zaniolo and Tammy Abraham tasked with leading the attack. The Portuguese technician will also welcome Stephan El Shaarawy back to the fold after his recovery from injury.
On the other side, Sampdoria are eager to increase the gap between themselves and the relegation zone as they sit eight points above 18th placed Genoa.
Just weeks ago Samp boss Robert D’Aversa was on the verge of being sacked, however, recent wins over Verona and fierce rivals Genoa bought him more time.
“We’re definitely coming off a positive streak, we want to continue that, even if we know how good our opponents are,” he explained during yesterday’s press conference.
“Roma are coming off a win against Atalanta, they’re in good shape psychologically. They also showed that they are hard to break down. It’s going to be a good game in front of a packed stadium. We will need to play well.”
He added, “This will be the first time I come across a big-name manager such as Mourinho. I can’t wait to shake his hand and I’ll be proud if I can cause him some problems.”
“We weathered the storm but should never think we’ve solved all our problems and are safe. Results depend on performances and that’s what we’re doing.”
The two sides kick-off this evening at 18.30 CET in the Italian capital.
Probable Formations
Roma (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibañez; Karsdorp, Veretout, Cristante, Mkhitaryan, Viña; Zaniolo, Abraham
Bench: Fuzato, Tripi, Kumbulla, Calafiori, Diawara, Darboe, Villar, Bove, Zalewski, El Shaarawy, Felix, Perez, Shomurodov, Mayoral
Sampdoria (4-4-2): Falcone; Bereszynski, Yoshida, Colley, Augello; Candreva, Ekdal, Silva, Askildsen; Quagliarella, Caputo
Bench: Audero, Ravaglia, Chabot, Depaoli, Dragusin, Ferrari, Murru, Askildsen, Yepes Laut, Torregrossa, Ciervo, Gabbiadini
