It’s another must-win league fixture for Roma when they host Torino on Monday evening in Matchday 26 of Serie A.
With a match in-hand, the Giallorossi enter the affair seven points behind fourth-placed Bologna, who currently occupy the final Champions League place. As for their counterparts, the Granata sit comfortably mid-table but are still within striking of a European place—providing plenty of motivation to pull-off an upset.
Kick-off is scheduled for 18.30 CET on Monday evening at the Stadio Olimpico.
Roma
After securing a 1-1 draw in Rotterdam last week, Roma eliminated Feyenoord from European play for the third year in a row and successfully advanced to the Europa League Round of 16—where they’ll face Brighton.
Manager Daniele De Rossi will be confronted with some selection predicaments after it took his side 120 minutes plus penalties to eliminate the defending Dutch champions. Despite this, he’ll have plenty of alternatives available since the Giallorossi are arguably the healthiest they’ve been all season, with Tammy Abraham the lone notable absence.
De Rossi is expected to give attacking duo Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala a breather, replacing them with Sardar Azmoun and Tommaso Baldanzi. In midfield, Bryan Cristante is also expected to be rested and replaced by Edoardo Bove. Meanwhile, defender Evan Ndicka is in-line to return to the starting lineup for the first time since mid-January after guiding Ivory Coast to the AFCON title.
Torino
The Granata hope to bounce back Monday and avoid back-to-back defeats against both Roman clubs.
Torino’s six-match unbeaten run was snapped last Thursday when they fell 2-0 at home against Lazio. It marked their first defeat of 2024, the previous one occurring December 29th against Fiorentina.
Ivan Juric isn’t likely to change much from the team he used Thursday against Lazio, perhaps only one or two adjustments. Midfielder Samuele Ricci is favored to replace Karol Linetty with the rest of the team remaining unchanged. Former Roma striker Tonny Sanabria will start in attack alongside Duvan Zapata, who has 5 goals and 3 assists in 15 games against Roma.
Predicted Lineups
ROMA (4-3-3):Â Svilar; Kristensen, Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Bove, Paredes, Pellegrini; Baldanzi, Azmoun, El Shaarawy
Unavailable: Tammy Abraham
TORINO (3-4-2-1):Â Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Lovato, Masina; Bellanova, Ricci, Ilic, Lazaro; Vlasic; Sanabria, Zapata
Unavailable: Perr Schurrs, Alessandro Buongiorno
