Roma resume league play this weekend as they gear up to face Lecce at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening for round eleven in Serie A.
With just one point separating them in the table, both teams will be eager to secure all three points after suffering respective 1-0 defeats last weekend. The Giallorossi fell late at San Siro to Inter while Roberto D’Aversa’s men lost to Torino.
The affair is scheduled to kick-off at 18.00 CET in Rome.
Roma
Fresh off a heartbreak defeat against his former side, Jose Mourinho received good news on the injury front as Paulo Dybala and Renato Sanches returned to full training this week. The pair are expected to be called-up for Sunday’s affair with Dybala the favorite to start in attack alongside Romelu Lukaku.
Though, the Giallorossi will still be without captain Lorenzo Pellegrini, Chris Smalling, and Leonardo Spinazzola—all of whom are still recovering from their respective ailments.
Historically, the capital club have enjoyed immense success at the Olimpico against the southern side, sporting a record of 14 wins, 2 draws, and 1 defeat—an 82% winning percentage.
Lecce
Lecce, on the other hand, enters as the underdogs. After a bright start to their season, Roberto D’Aversa’s men are winless in their last five Serie A games—their most recent victory coming over a month ago on September 22nd against Genoa.
Although they’ve been strong defensively, their attack has been unimpressive. They’ve only scored more than 1 goal in three of their ten league fixtures and haven’t done so since round three in early September.
Predicted Formations
ROMA (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Mancini, Llorente, Ndicka; Karsdorp, Aouar, Cristante, Bove, El Shaarawy; Lukaku, Dybala
Unavailable: Tammy Abraham, Marash Kumbulla, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Chris Smalling
LECCE (4-3-3): Falcone; Gendrey, Baschirotto, Pongracic, Gallo; Gonzalez, Ramadani, Rafia; Almqvist, Krstovic, Strefezza
Unavailable: Mohamed Kaba, Alexis Blin, Kastriot Dermaku
