Roma can secure their place in the Europa League group stages for next season by beating Torino on Wednesday night.
For their penultimate Serie A game of the season, Roma travel north to Turin looking to preserve their six-game unbeaten run. The motivation is clear: get three points, and fifth place will be guaranteed.
The trip to Torino will be the first of two away games to close out the season. Roma have been good on their travels recently, putting three past Brescia and six past SPAL.
Both those opponents have been relegated, though, so Torino could pose a sterner test. However, the Granata have not returned from the lockdown well. They are safe from relegation, but could finish as low as 17th, having won just one of their last five matches.
One man Roma must keep an eye on is Andrea Belotti. The Torino striker hasn’t scored in his last three games, but netted in seven in a row before that.
The return of Roger Ibanez will boost the Giallorossi’s chances of keeping Belotti at bay. The Brazilian defender has impressed since the re-start, but has missed the last couple of games with injury. Fortunately, Ibanez is back in the squad for the trip to Turin.
On the other hand, Lorenzo Pellegrini drops out after breaking his nose in the win over Fiorentina. Carles Perez, who scored his first Serie A goal in his most recent start, could replace him in the lineup.
Elsewhere, Paulo Fonseca is not planning too many changes. Reduced rotation is a strategy that has worked for Roma recently, so he is likely to call on his key personnel once more.
Antonio Mirante is available again, while Davide Santon is back in the squad for the first time since July 5th, and only for the third time since lockdown. There’s also a return for someone who has had to wait even longer for an opportunity this season – Juan Jesus.
Roma’s number five has not even featured on a bench since the league re-started, but is part of a 29-man squad for the Torino clash.
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Giallorossi have won their last two visits to Torino by a single goal margin. In fact, they have only lost away to the Granata once in the 21st Century. However, Roma did lose the reverse fixture back in January.
If they put that right with a win on Wednesday to continue their recent good form at the ‘other’ Stadio Olimpico, it will be hugely significant. A win would mean Roma won’t have to negotiate the Europa League qualifiers for next season.
During the match, Roma will be wearing their new away kit for next season, which was unveiled on Wednesday morning and sees the return of the iconic Lupetto badge.
The game kicks off at 8:45pm UK time and will be available to watch live on Premier Sports 2.
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