AS Roma vs Livorno

AS Roma and Livorno will clash in a David vs Goliath battle at the Stadio Olimpico featuring the number 2 side in Serie A against the club that is in last place. The two sides are going in totally opposite directions with Livorno having blown a terrible match at home last week that was vital for their survival prospects while Roma scored a big victory at home.

Roma are currently in 2^nd place of the league table with 64 points on the season. They sit 4 points back of first place Inter Milan and hold a 7 point edge on 3^rd place Juventus. Being 4 points behind Inter for the race for the Serie A title with just 5 matches left on the season makes every remaining point up for grabs vital. Roma are currently winners of 2 straight games and have won 3 of their last 4 during which time they are undefeated. Last week the side managed by Nedo Spalletti scored a big win away to Udinese by a score of 1-3. This week Roma will be without the injured Aquilani, Ferrari, Pit and Cassetti but there is good news on the injury front as Vicinic has a good chance of making the start on the left flank.

Livorno are currently in last place of the Serie A with 29 points. They sit 1 point back of both Empoli and Reggina and 2 points back of 17^th Parma which is the club that they must catch in order to stave off relegation. They are coming off of a terrible 1-2 loss at home to Cagliari at the Stadio Armando Picchi that allowed Cagliari to pull away and jump out of the relegation zone. The side managed by Camolese are now winless over their past 5 games with just 2 goals scored over that period. They have managed just 2 draws to go with 3 losses over that stretch. This week Roma will be missing Giannichedda, Volpe, Balleri and Vidigal so look for Camolese to go with the Tavano Rossini partnership upfront in a 3-4-1-2.

This will be a very difficult match for Livorno. While the club has managed 3 wins and 3 draws in 16 road games this season they will be going against a Roma outfit that has dropped just 1 match at home all year long. In addition, Roma have absolutely everything to play for and unlike Inter Milan, the Serie A is the only tournament that they are currently participating in. Look for Roma to be fresh and focused and to take care of business at home.

Prediction: Roma (2-0)