Serie A | Gameweek 21

Jan 17, 2025 at 7.45pm UK

Stadio Olimpico

Romavs.Genoa

Match preview

Demonstrating renewed spirit under the leadership of the vastly experienced coach Claudio Ranieri, Roma secured a 2-2 draw with Bologna in their most recent match, extending their unbeaten streak to five matches.

After ending 2024 with two wins and a draw, the Giallorossi started the new year by triumphing in the Derby della Capitale against Lazio, before heading to Stadio Dall'Ara.

Alexis Saelemaekers opened the scoring against his former loan club, but Bologna struck back with two quick goals. A late VAR-awarded penalty gave Roma the chance to snatch a point, and Artem Dovbyk duly stepped up to convert it.

This outcome maintains their position just inside the top half of the table, currently in 10th place with 24 points, one point ahead of 11th-placed Genoa.

Ranieri's team has a busy schedule ahead, including two crucial Europa League matches and a Coppa Italia quarter-final against AC Milan. They will first play host to the Grifone in Rome.

In September, the reverse fixture at Marassi ended in a 1-1 draw. Roma were on course for victory after Dovbyk scored in the first half, but Koni De Winter equalised in the 96th minute.

Since Patrick Vieira took charge, Genoa have continued to improve their performance, and started the second half of their Serie A campaign by winning on home turf for the first time this season.

In their previous match, Genoa edged out Parma thanks to a decisive strike from Morten Frendrup, witnessed by their new owner Dan Sucu, who was overseeing his first match after completing a recent takeover.

Following a series of six draws and four defeats at Stadio Ferraris, the team finally ended their barren run after weathering a couple of scares during the second half.

Vieira's leadership has been instrumental in Genoa's steady improvement, with the team losing only one of their last 10 league matches while maintaining a solid defensive record with no fewer than six clean sheets.

Currently, they sit just below Roma, albeit with a five-point buffer to the relegation zone, and have the potential to overtake their capital-city counterparts by winning on Friday.

The Ligurian club will also be aiming to extend their unbeaten away run to five matches, their most recent away loss having come in October when they were beaten by Lazio in Rome.

Recent Performance

Roma Serie A form:WLWDWD

Roma form (all competitions):LWWDWD

Genoa Serie A form:DDLWDW

Team News

The task of reviving Roma, which Claudio Ranieri has been entrusted with, has been made easier by the fact that he has an almost full squad available, with the exception of Bryan Cristante, who is set to sit out Friday's game through injury.

The Italy midfielder is expected to recover from an ankle issue next week, but with the entire squad in top form, Ranieri may opt to maintain the team's composition from the matches against Bologna and Lazio.

This could mean that Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala will be in the starting lineup. Dybala, who recently returned to form, will celebrate a century of Roma appearances this weekend. He has been directly involved in four goals in his last four league games.

Meanwhile, Genoa's absence list remains extensive, with captain Milan Badelj joining it last week due to a hamstring problem in the victory over Parma.

Patrick Vieira is still missing Vitinha, Brooke Norton-Cuffy, Caleb Ekuban, Ruslan Malinovskyi and Honest Ahanor too, but Junior Messias could play for the first time since a long layoff.

The Grifone's frontline is spearheaded by top scorer Andrea Pinamonti, with the unconventional striker Mario Balotelli being benched.

Possible starting lineup

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Kone, Paredes, Pellegrini, Angelino; Dybala, Dovbyk

Genoa possible starting lineup:

Leali; De Winter, Bani, Vasquez, Martin; Kasa; Zanoli, Frendrup, Thorsby, Miretti; Pinamonti