Roma Women will be looking to continue their positive start to 2021 when they host high-flying Sassuolo on Saturday.
Betty Bavagnoli’s side have won their last two games in a row – against Roma CF in the cup and Napoli in the league – and were even unlucky to lose the game before those, against Juventus in the Supercoppa Italiana.
Momentum seems to be building again now, but there will be a step up in class when they face Sassuolo.
The visitors are currently third in Serie A at the half-way stage, having only lost two of their opening 11 games.
If Roma win, they would move six points behind their opponents – and that must be the aim if they are to make up for the ground lost towards the start of the season.
Confidence should be high going into the game, though. The last three performances have been strong and Roma are seeking back-to-back home wins for the first time since October.
Roma have only lost one of their five previous meetings with Sassuolo. However, the side from Reggio Emilia are having a strong season, so cannot be underestimated.
Bavagnoli knows that, and told asroma.com: “Sassuolo, over the last few seasons, have always been a team that has deserved more than they have got, in terms of final results.
“They are well coached, they are well organised and they play good football. And they’ve gained a lot of confidence this season, which naturally comes when you are winning games and doing well. So it really won’t be an easy game.”
The coach will be able to call on Camelia Ceasar in goal again after serving her suspension last week. In front of her, there might be a club debut for Elena Linari – although the recent signing is probably more likely to come on from the bench if she does play.
In attack, Annamaria Serturini could make her 60th appearance for the club. She has scored in her last three Serie A games, so will be crucial to Roma’s hopes of outscoring their opponents.
Saturday’s encounter should give a clear picture of how far Roma have come in recent weeks.
The game kicks off at 11:30am UK time and will be available to watch live on Roma TV+.
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