Roma vs Juventus Preview:
Possible starting lineups:
Roma:
Pau Lopez; Spinazzola, Mancini, Smalling, Kolarov; Veretout, Diawara; Zaniolo, Pellegrini, Perotti; Dzeko
Juventus:
Szczesny; Cuadrado, Bonucci, De Ligt, Alex Sandro; Rabiot, Pjanic, Matuidi; Dybala; Higuain, Ronaldo
Roma will host Juventus in derby match of the 19th round and this is expected to be the most interesting game of Sunday’s program. The Giallorossi will try to return on winning paths after the last round's defeat from Torino. As You probably know, Torino won 2:0 at Stadio Olimpico last weekend and ended the seven-game unbeaten run. The fans are not satisfied with the last result, though Roma had four victories and one draw on the previous five matches in Serie A. Fonseca's men beat Brescia, Verona, Spal and Fiorentina, playing the only draw with Inter at Meazza. According to me, that was another good result. Just to mention, Roma also secured the knock-out phase of the Europe League where they will face Belgian side Gent. The atmosphere in the squad is good despite the last round's defeat, while the players confidence is high. Fonseca is still missing the long-term casualties Bryan Cristante and Davide Zappacosta, but there is more. Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has just recovered when picking up another thigh strain in training this week. Justin Kluivert, Javier Pastore and Davide Santon are still out of action, while Federico Fazio is rated as doubtful. Nicolo Zaniolo is also doubtful as he missed last few training sessions due to a swollen knee. However, Zaniolo is expected to start in the supporting trio with Lorenzo Pellegrini and Diego Perotti behind Edin Dzeko. At the end I will mention that Bryan Cristante officially renewed his contract with Roma to June 2024. That's not all as the Serbian defender Aleksandar Kolarov also extended his contract with the club until June 2021.
Juventus are sharing the first place in Serie A with Inter. Both teams have 45 points and they are main candidates for Scudetto. The atmosphere in the squad isn't at highest level because of the Super Cup defeat to Lazio. Nevertheless, the Old Lady are in good league form at the moment, winning the last three matches in Serie A. Juve beat Udinese with 3:1, mainly thanks to Cristiano Ronaldo brace. The third goal was scored by Leonardo Bonucci. Next they beat Sampdoria in Genoa with 2:1. Paulo Dybala scored the first, while Ronaldo the second goal. The Portuguese superstar continued his scoring show against Cagliari as he netted a hat-trick. Gonzalo Higuain also found the back of the net last week. Adrien Rabiot said the 4:0 win against Cagliari was a 'positive signal' from Juventus after losing the Supercoppa Italiana to Lazio. Coach Sarri was also satisfied and claimed Juve went through their "biggest test of consistency" this season after the thumping four-goal victory over Cagliari. The Bianconerri are doing well in the Champions League too. They secured the knock-out stage in top European competition. Coach Sarri has four worries ahead of this match - Rodrigo Bentancur continues to sit out his ban, while Sami Khedira and Giorgio Chiellini are sidelined through injuries. Higuain is rated as doubtful through a hamstring problem, but I expect to be ready in time for this match. Ex-Roma players Miralem Pjanic and Wojciech Szczesny will probably receive a "harsh welcome" from their former fans.
Roma vs Juventus Prediction:
The matches between Roma and Juve have always been balanced and tight affairs. The Old Lady won at home last season, but then suffered one of their only four defeats in Serie A at Stadio Olimpico. Now I expect an efficient match with goals on both sides. The presence of Dzeko and Ronaldo guarantees goals.
Roma vs Juventus Pick: Both teams to score - Yes @ 1.63 with 1xBet
