Serie A | Gameweek 16

Dec 15, 2024 at 5pm UK

Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia

Comovs.Roma

Match preview

Under the avuncular stewardship of Rome-born club hero Claudio Ranieri, Roma have begun to recover from a dreadful start to the 2024-25 campaign that saw them slip into the bottom half of Serie A and threaten their Europa League hopes.

On Thursday night, they inflicted a comprehensive 3-0 defeat on Braga at the Stadio Olimpico, with Mario Hermoso scoring the winner against a 10-man opponent after Saud Abdulhamid and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini had earlier scored.

As well as extending their fine home record in UEFA's second tier, the result lifted the Giallorossi to 14th place in the standings and, as things stand, would qualify them for a play-off spot - with a top-eight finish still up for grabs.

Days earlier, Roma finally ended a run of four domestic defeats by beating Lecce 4-1 in the capital, as three second-half strikes secured the first win of Ranieri's third spell in charge.

However, they are now without a win in their last 10 Serie A away games before this weekend's trip to Lombardy - the club's worst run since the early months of this century.

Ranieri, in his 479th game in charge of a team in Italy's top flight, will now face his 48th different opponent - tying Carlo Mazzone for the record - and victory will be his only aim on Sunday.

Historically, Como have failed to score in eight of their 12 Serie A home games against Roma, although the last time the two sides met in the league was back in 2003, when the Lariani won 2-0.

A repeat result this week is desperately needed for the current Cesc Fabregas-led side, as they face the prospect of a swift return to the second tier at the end of the season.

Last season's Serie B runners-up were pegged back by fellow newcomers Venezia in their last outing, holding them to a disappointing 2-2 draw despite ex-Roma striker Andrea Belotti putting them ahead just before the hour mark.

Despite losing just one of their last four matches, Como are without a win since September and are still searching for their first clean sheet of the campaign.

Only Hellas Verona have conceded more goals at home, and the Lombard side's average of 2.2 per game will be an invitation to Roma's rejuvenated attack.

Recent Performance

Como Serie A form:LLDLDD

Roma Serie A form:WLLLLW

Roma form (all competitions):LLDLWW

Team News

After making a handful of changes in midweek, Claudio Ranieri is set to rotate his resources again at the Stadio Sinigaglia, with Zeki Celik returning from injury and Leandro Paredes expected to overcome the illness that ruled him out on Thursday.

Artem Dovbyk could return up front, with Lorenzo Pellegrini likely to drop to the bench and Paulo Dybala to a deeper role.

Should he score on Sunday evening, Dybala will have found the net against 18 of the 20 clubs currently in Serie A, tying him with Romelu Lukaku and Duvan Zapata.

Meanwhile, Como's Andrea Belotti has scored six league goals against Roma to date, having also made 45 appearances for the Giallorossi, averaging just 0.07 goals per game.

Belotti has recently replaced Patrick Cutrone in the Lariani's starting line-up, with the latter failing to score in any of his last nine appearances.

Cesc Fabregas, midfielder Maximo Perrone and veteran left-back Alberto Moreno are among the hosts' absentees, although Sergi Roberto is set to return from a lengthy lay-off.

Possible starting lineup

Como possible starting lineup:

Reina; Van der Brempt, Goldaniga, Kempf, Iovine; Engelhardt, Da Cunha; Strefezza, Paz, Fadera; Belotti

Roma possible starting lineup:

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