Roma vs Parma

Roma will face off at home to Parma at the Stadio Olimpico as week 26 gets underway in Serie A. The giallorossi will be hoping to clear their heads of the frustrating result they obtained in their midweek match away to league leaders Inter Milan, while Parma will be looking to repeat their performance.

The side managed by Nedo Spaletti were playing superbly at the San Siro. Through 90 minutes they had built a 0-1 lead against Inter and were on the verge of trimming their deficit to 6 points. Instead, Roma were punished for failing to convert on their many counter attack chances and wound up settling for a 1-1 draw which leaves them with 52 points, 9 back of first place Inter. They hold a 4 point advantage over 3^rd place Juventus. They had come agonizingly close to finally handing Inter their first loss of the season. Instead they will look to get back on track at home against Parma. Roma will be missing Curci, Panucci and Cassetti to injury while Mexes is out suspended. Look for Juan to spell Mexes while Mancini returns to the left win after sitting out suspended. He will replace the impressive Vucinic who slides over to the bench.

Parma were victorious in their last match as they were able to hold out for a 2-0 win over Udinese. With the victory the side managed by Di Carlo are now in 14^th place of the league table with 25 points on the campaign. This leaves the gialloblu 2 points back of 13^th place Torino and just ahead of Siena. The victory snapped an unbeaten run of 4 matches which had seen Parma draw 3 in a row. This week top scorer Bernardo Corradi will be benched as Parma go with a 4-4-1-1 featuring Gasbarroni- a player in sensational form at this time- and Lucarelli as the lone striker.

It is tough to make a case for Parma in this match. While they are unbeaten on the road in their last 2 matches their overall road record stands at 0 wins, 5 draws and 7 losses. Only Catania and Reggina have failed to win away this year along with Parma. Meanwhile, Roma have lost just 1 match at home to go with 9 wins and 2 draws and they will be extremely focused this week as they need to bounce back from the draw away to Inter. Look for the Roma to take care of business at home.

Prediction: Roma (2-0)

Inter Milan vs Roma

Inter Milan return home in Round 25 hoping to extend their unbeaten run to 25 matches when they host AS Roma at the Stadio Giuseppe Meazza at San Siro. As Roma were able to inch closer to Inter over the weekend and now come into this contest with a chance to move to within 6 points of the top spot with a victory.

The neroazzurri played to a 1-1 draw in their week 24 match away to Sampdoria at Marassi. The draw leaves Roberto Mancini’s side in 1^st place of Serie A with 60 points on the season which are the product of an impressive 18 wins and 6 draws for the year. They hold a 9 point edge over 2^nd place Roma and appear well on their way to a 3^rd straight league title. With the squad currently going through a steady stretch of matches that have seen them play a match every 3 days, it is expected that there will be some turnover in the starting eleven this week. Look for Julio Cruz to get another day off with Zlatan Ibrahimovic joining. Argentine Hernan Crespo is expected to join David Suazo of Honduras in the attack. Colombian international Ivan Ramiro Cordoba is not expected to start either.

This contest will be AS Roma’s best chance this season to crack into Inter Milan’s big lead. A victory hear will seen them climb to 54 points and within just 6 of the top spot. However, there is a reason why Inter have yet to lose a match this season and it will take a superb effort from the giallorossi to pull it off. Last week the side managed by Nedo Spaletti were able to hold serve at home and defeat Fiorentina by a score of 1-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. It was their 4^th victory over their last 6 matches and was a great way to bounce back from the tough lost against Juventus 7 days earlier. There are two confirmed absences at this time for Roma in Curci and Mancini, while Cicinho is out suspended. The loss of Mancini may not be as painful however as Vucinic was superb against Fiorentina.

This contest is literally a final for Roma. If they win away to Inter they remove the air of invincibility from the squad currently in first place and reopen the title chance. If they draw or even lose, the contest might be over. Given how strong and disciplined Inter have looked this season, they appear to be good enough for a draw.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Roma vs Fiorentina

Roma face another stern test in week 24 of Serie A as they return home looking to bounce back from a tough loss a week ago away to Juventus. Fiorentina are in high spirits following an important victory a week ago over Catania and are looking to solidify their hold on 4^th place of the league table.

AS Roma have hit a tough spell of late in Serie A. After putting together a strong 13 match unbeaten run coming into the month of February, they have now lost 2 of their last 3 league matches. The latest loss away to Juventus by a score of 1-0 leaves them in 2^nd place with 48 points but now 11 back of first place Inter Milan and just 1 point up on 3^rd place Juve. The club did get a lift this week when they were able to come from behind to defeat Real Madrid in their Champions League match. This week manager Spaletti will be missing the usual Juan and Curci to injury while Brazilian winger Mancini is out suspended. Therefore, look for Vucinic and Perrotta to start in midfield with Totti the lone striker in a 4-2-3-1 set.

Fiorentina held serve at home in week 23 to defeat Catania by a score of 2-1 at the Stadio Artemio Franchi di Firenze. The result gives Cesare Prandelli’s side 41 points on the year. They are 6 points behind Juventus and 3 ahead of 5^th place AC Milan. The viola are playing very well of late both in Serie A and in the UEFA Cup and have now won 3 of their last 5 matches with 1 draw and 1 loss along the way. Three players have been ruled out for this match and they are Pasqual, Potenza and Osvaldo while it has been confirmed that Frey will be able to start in goal.

Roma are in a tricky situation this week. Their Serie A title chances seem to be dwindling, while they are still very much alive in the Champions League and will need to prioritize soon. They have been superb at home with 8 wins and 2 draws in 11 matches, but Fiorentina have more than held their own away from home with just 1 loss in as 11 matches. Couple that with the fact that Roma are missing Mancini this week- a player who opens up enormous space for Totti and company in attack, and the visitors just might have the break they need to hold out for the draw.

Prediction: Draw (1-1)

Champions league: Roma vs. Real Madrid

The Champions League makes a welcome return this week and there are some mouth-watering games on offer. Roma play hosts to Real Madrid in a first leg tie that is completely up in the air. Real Madrid are showing signs of weakness when they play away from their Bernabeu stadium and lost by two goals to one at struggling Betis at the weekend. Bernd Schuster’s men only have themselves to blame, though. Drenthe scored the opener after just seven minutes and Madrid’s dominance was total for the first thirty minutes but them seemed to fall sleep, allowing Betis to turn the game around with two goals in four minutes. Madrid still have a five point lead at the top of La Liga, but maybe this is leading them into a false sense of security. They are treating away games with a blatant lack of compromise as they are under the (false) impression that they can resolve everything at home. This may be the case here against Roma as well. Madrid won’t be too upset if they were to lose this match, as long as they get on the score sheet.

Roma meanwhile are doing very well in the Serie A and are in second place, with a huge eleven point gap between leaders Inter. They have only lost three league games all season, but two of those have come in February, including a one nil away defeat at the hands of Juventus at the weekend. More importantly though is the fact that Roma haven’t conceded a goal at their Olímpico stadium since the one – one draw against Manchester United at the beginning of December.

Madrid will be without some key players in this first leg. Central defender Pepe is still side lined with a calf strain, and Robinho, Wesley Sneijder and Marcelo will also be absent. Roma on the other hand have an almost fully fit squad for coach Luciano Spalletti to choose from, with only Juan and Mirko Vučinić on the sidelines, although the latter may be fit enough for this clash.

Real Madrid have never lost in Italy against Roma, but curiously have only won one Champions League away game in nine attempts. I’m going for a narrow one – nil home victory here and I can see Madrid going through to the next round with a good win in the Bernabeu stadium.

Prediction: Home win (1-0)

Juventus vs Roma

The big match of week 23 in Serie A will take place at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino as Juventus host AS Roma in a clash between the 2^nd place and 3^rd place sides. A loss or draw for Juventus in this match would pretty much eliminate them from any hope of a miracle run at the title. It is a must win for Roma as well given that Inter Milan simply refuse to lose.

The side managed by former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri are in 3^rd place of Serie A with 44 points for the season. This leaves the bianconeri 4 points back of 2^nd place AS Roma and 6 points in front of Fiorentina. A victory in this match would see them close the gap with Roma to 1 point and perhaps gain ground on Inter Milan. Last week the vecchia signora picked up a 1-2 away against Udinese which stretched their unbeaten run to 13 matches. This current streak is second only to first place Inter. On the injury front, there are important changes this week as Italy 2006 world cup winner Mauro German Camoranesi has been cleared to play and will start on the right flank of the midfield. Andrade, Marchionni and Vanstrattan remain sidelined. Juve have lost just one match at home this season while winning 7 and drawing 3. David Trezeguet continues to lead the league with 15 goals scored.

Roma bounced back nicely form their shock defeat of a week ago at the hands of Siena to score a 2-0 victory over Reggina at the Stadio Olimpico. With that victory the giallorossi have reached 48 points in the year and remain 8 points back of 1^st place Inter Milan. While they are having a very good season, they must continue to win as Inter just seem incapable of losing. Nedo Spaletti’s side have been a quality club away form home this season with 6 wins to go with 4 draws and only 1 loss. Therr is some positive news for them as well on the injury front as Brazilian defender Juan has been cleared to play and is expected to be starting at the back. The only injury concerns are Julio Sergio and Curci. Expect Spalletti to go with the usual 4-2-3-1 featuring Totti in attack.

This contest appears to have draw written all over it. These are two very evenly matched sides and usually a derby of this magnitude in Serie A tends to resemble a chess match more than football. Look for both sides to go home with a point.

Prediction: (1-1)

Roma vs Reggina

Reggina will have it all to do this week as they visit the mighty AS Roma at the Stadio Olimpico. Roma will be looking to get back on track after having their 13 match unbeaten run snapped last week.

Roma suffered a shock defeat away to Siena by a score of 3-0 at the MPS Arena in week 21. The pressure was on Roma to continue winning in order to keep pace with Inter Milan but the loss sees them lose significant ground in the league table. The side managed by Spalletti now remain in second place with 45 points but are 8 points back of 1^st place Inter and just 4 ahead of the steady Juventus. The good news for the giallorossi this week is that they will be back at home and with just 1 injury concern as Brazilian defender Juan remains sidelined. They are set to go with their usual 4-2-3-1 with Francesco Totti as the lone striker. He leads the club with 10 goals so far.

Reggina continued their troubled campaign with yet another loss at home, this time by a score of 1-3 to Torino at the Oreste Granillo. The loss leaves them in 18^th place of the Serie A table with 18 points, 1 back of 17^th place Parma. If the season were to end today they would make the drop to Serie B. Their winless run now stands at 3 matches. This week manager Renzo Ulivieri could give new signing Makinwa from Lazio a chance to make his debut for the club. The two players ruled out are Garcia and Joelson while top scorer Amoruso is expected to return to the starting eleven. This would slide Brienza back over to the bench.

Reggina would have had a better chance in this match if Roma were still on their undefeated run. Having lost last week expect Roma to come out completely focused as they look to make up lost ground.

Prediction: Roma (2-0)

Siena vs Roma

Siena are up against the wall in week 21 as they will be hosting the very impressive AS Roma at the MPS Arena. The two sides represent another David vs Goliath scenario with Roma in 2^nd place while Siena are in the relegation zone of the Serie A table.

Siena are in 18^th place with 17 points through 20 matches. They are 1 point behind Reggina which is the club they must catch, and 1 point ahead of 19^th place Empoli. The side managed by Beretta are coming off of a 1-0 loss away to Sampdoria in their last match at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris at Marassi. That was their second consecutive road match after having pulled off an upset win away to Palermo 7 days earlier. It’s been quite the struggle for Siena this season as they have only picked up 3 wins with only 1 of them coming at home. This week they have just one injury concern and that is Locatelli. Siena look set to go with a 4-4-2 featuring Maccarone and Rigano upfront.

Roma are coming off of a 1-0 win at home to Palermo to stretch their current win streak to 4 matches. They have conceded just 1 goal over their last 5 games. That win leaves helped them gain 2 points on Inter Milan and cut the deficit to 5 points. As it stands now Roma are in 2^nd place with 45 points. They are both 5 points back of first place Inter Milan who have 50 and 5 points ahead of Juventus who have 40. The problem for Roma is that Inter Milan just do not seem capable of losing. In fact, the giallorossi have not lost in 14 matches and yet still find themselves 5 points back of Inter. For this week’s visit to Siena the club will continue to be without Juan, Pit and Curci, while manager Nedo Spalletti will be able to call upon both Francesco Totti and Taddei who returns to the right wing position with the Brazilian Mancini on the left flank.

Siena are in a lot of trouble this week. They don’t appear to have what it takes from a talent stand point to be able to handle a squad with the depth and experience of Roma. Look for the side form the capital city of Italy to stretch their unbeaten run to 15 and their win streak to 5.

Prediction: Roma (0-1)

Roma vs Palermo

Roma take on Palermo in week 20 needing to win in order to keep pace with the red hot Inter Milan. They will be facing Palermo side that are coming off of a tough loss at home while they themselves are undefeated in their last 13.

Roma held serve at home over Catania by a score of 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. In addition to extending their unbeaten run to 13 the match was Roma’s 3^rd consecutive victory. Their last loss came against Inter Milan back in September. The side managed by Spalletti are in 2^nd place of Serie A with 42 points on the season, 7 back of Inter Milan and 5 ahead of 3^rd place Juventus. Their 42 points would normally be superb but given Inter’s dominance Roma must continue to win just to stay alive. There are 2 confirmed absences this week with Juan out injured and De Rossi suspended. In addition, Francesco Totti is dealing with lumbar pain and is now listed as doubtful. Should he not be able to go Vucinic would start. Brighi will substitute for De Rossi.

Palermo are in 9^th place of Serie A with 25 points on the season. They sit just behind 8^th place Sampdoria on goal difference and hold a 1 point edge on AC Milan. The side managed by Guidolin are coming off of a very disappointing performance at home last week when they fell to Siena by a score of 2-3 at the Renzo Barbera. It was Palermo’s second straight loss and extended their winless run to 3 matches. In fact, they have lost both of their matches so far in 2008. The only injury absence this week is expected to be Pisano so Guidolin and stick with his 4-3-2-1 featuring Amauri as the lone striker.

Roma are on a roll and despite some possible injury absences appear more than capable of taking care of Palermo at home. Palermo have lost just 4 of 9 matches away this season but their form of late has left a lot to be desire. Roma should hold serve at the Olimpico.

Prediction: Roma (2-1)

Atalanta vs Roma

An injury depleted Atalanta Bergamo return home looking to snap a bad run which has seen them win just 1 of their last 5 matches with 3 losses along the way. They will have to do it against none other than 2^nd place Roma who need the points in the worst way as well if they want to keep pace with an Inter Milan outfit that seem unbeatable these days.

Atalanta at this time are on their worst run of the season. The 1-1 draw away to Livorno in their last contest saw them drop to 8^th place in the Serie A table with 22 points, 1 back of Napoli and 1 ahead of 9^th place Sampdoria. The Bergamaschi had been in the UEFA Cup zones of the league table for most of the season but this recent string of disappointing results has them in danger of falling into the wrong half of the table. The main cause of these poor displays has been the injury situation. Manager Gigi Del Neri is missing, among others, Talamonti, Costinha, Inzaghi and Rivalta. In the case of the Argentine he is expected to miss 3 weeks. Meanwhile, Cristiano Doni, who has been their top player by far is out suspended this week. Further complicating matters is the status of De Ascentis and Muslimovic who are both considered doubtful at this time. If they can’t go, Atalanta could be missing up to 6 regular starters this week.

Roma come into this contest as healthy as they have been all season. Francesco Totti, Chilean David Pizarro and Daniele De Rossi have all been cleared to play. The fact that Atalanta are in a weakened state is music to their ears as the pressure is really on for them. Roma are on an 11 match unbeaten run and have conceded just 1 goal over their last 4 matches. Yet despite this superior form, they are are still 7 points back of Inter Milan and just 1 point ahead of Juventus. Therefore, they must win this match away to Atalanta if they hope to keep pace with the big boys. The good news is that Roma are no strangers to winning on the road. They are one of only two unbeaten teams away from home with 5 wins and 4 draws in 9 matches.

It would take a very big performance from Atalanta to pull this one out. Not only are they facing a full strength Roma outfit that is playing well, they have not played like world beaters at home this year as evidenced by their 3 wins in 7 matches. Look for Roma to take the points.

Prediction: Roma (0-1)

AS Roma vs Sampdoria

It has been a rough week for AS Roma in the lead up to this match at home to Sampdoria at the Stadio Olimpico. After learning that start Francesco Totti would continue to miss time they went winless in two matches over a 5 day span against Torino. They continue to sit in second place behind Inter Milan but the gap has now reached 7 points. Sampdoria visit Roma for the derby of the south having lost 2 of their last 5 matches while winning once and drawing the other.

The side managed by Luciano Spalletti are at 33 points for the year from 16 matches. After a disappointing 0-0 draw away to Torino in their last Serie A match they proceeded to lose 3-1 in the first leg of the Coppa Italia to the very same Toro. The news is slightly better this week on the injury front as it appears that Totti is finally ready to return. However, Taddei is still not available while Chilean midfielder Pizarro is now doubtful. Therefore, Spalletti could decide to keep the 4-2-3-1 formation but this time with Totti as the lone striker with Tonetto, Perrotta and Mancini as the 3 attacking midfielders. In addition, Mexes of France is out suspended.

Sampdoria were held to a disappointing 2-2 draw at home by Fiorentina in week 16. With that draw Sampdoria are in 9^th place with 21 points on the season just behind 8^th place Atalanta on goal difference. Despite the poor result things have been improving for the blucerchiati. In terms of injuries Sammarco looks set to return to action but is likely to start on the bench with Franceschini getting another start. Delvecchio, Sala and Montella are out while top striker Cassano must sit out suspended. The injury to Sala will have Gastaldello taking the spot in the center of the 3 man back line as Sampdoria go with a 3-4-2-1 featuring Bonazzoli.

While on paper Roma are without question the stronger side, this match is a derby and Sampdoria will come ready to play. There is also no telling how fit Totti will be and that could also play into Sampdoria’s favor. Still, despite the bleak scenario, the giallorossi should be able to break down the Samp defense and pick up the 3 points. This is especially true since the visitors will be without Cassano in attack, and Sala at the back.

Prediction: Roma (2-1)

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