In week 32, Roma will visit the San Siro in a match-up against Inter to try and regain their place in Champions League football for next season.
Earlier this season, Roma beat out Inter 4-2 at the Stadio Olimpico. Historically, the giallorossi have gone unbeaten in the last 10 games against Inter. With Roma slipping to third place and Inter struggling to reach higher than mid-table, both teams have a lot to play for. Inter will continue to squeeze the gap for European qualification and Roma will fight for second place to remain as a Champions League contender next season.
INTER: DWDLL
Following last weeks draw in the Derby della Madonnina, Inter is desperate to gain three points this week and close in on Torino, Genoa and city rivals, Milan. Prior to that, the nerazzurro were victorious over Verona, without conceding any goals in their last two matches.
Although last weekend’s draw was Inter’s 5th clean sheet of the season at home, Mancini still has some defensive tactics to figure out with his squad.
Inter’s Davide Santon spoke to Sportmediaset this week about his coach:
“He talks to the players a lot and he has won things wherever he has been. I think he’s the right person to take us forward. We are still trying to gel as a lot of new players have come in and the team is completely different compared to the Inter side I played with four years ago. We’re trying to give the team a new identity and Mancini is working on that too.”
Inter will have Brozovic and Guarin return from suspension, but will be without Medel who was booked last weekend.
Probable Line-up (4-3-1-2): Handanovic; Jesus, Vidic, Ranocchia, D’Ambrosio; Brozovic, Kovacic, Guarin; Hermanes; Icardi, Palacio
Who To Watch – Mauro Icardi
Similar to last week, Icardi was the one to watch on the field. Icardi has found the back of the net 16 times this season, but he has been one of the most effective players for Inter when it comes to producing chances and getting shots on net.
ROMA: DDWWL
Roma seem to have lost their motivation after giving up second place to Lazio as they are tied for points with their city rival at 58. The giallorossi only have a recent record of two wins in their last eight games.
Forward, Adem Ljajic spoke to the press during Roma’s pre-match conference:
“We need to show more grit and determination. Our aim is to play in the Champions League next season. We have seven games left, including the derby against Lazio and we don’t want to give up. Every game from now on is a final. We must create more goalscoring chances and make the most of them.”
De Rossi and Manolas are expected to return after missing action last week. Roma will be without Astori due to a suspension.
Probable Line-up (4-3-3): De Sanctis; Holebas, Manolas, Yanga-Mbiwa, Florenzi; Nainggolan; De Rossi, Pjanic; Ljajic, Totti, Gervinho
Who To Watch – Francesco Totti
With six goals scored, six assists in 18 appearances this season and hitting the net from the penalty spot last weekend, Totti is sure to cause a headache for Inter’s back four. Although he hasn’t had his most stellar season, Totti has always seemed to find success against Inter. In 47 games Totti has played against Inter, he has scored 12 times.
This should be an interesting match-up, as both of these clubs have the highest percentage of possession in Serie A. Roma averages 61% possession during their matches while Inter average 60%. Both clubs also rank high in terms of pass accuracy (Roma at 85.6% and Inter at 84.4%). However, one of the key differentiating stats in this case is that Inter has a considerable higher average of shots per game than Roma does. Inter records 15.4 shots per game while Roma doesn’t even make the top 5 in this category, compared to all Serie A teams.
It will be key for Roma to challenge Inter’s back line and produce chances on net if they are to come out successful this week. If Inter can capitalize on their chances, they may have a chance against Roma.
The post MATCH PREVIEW: Can Roma jump back into Champions League against Inter? appeared first on Italian Football Daily.
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