Just one point above their visitors before Sunday's clash at Stadio Olimpico, in-form Roma welcome Fiorentina to the Italian capital this weekend.
While the Giallorossi have won three of their last four Serie A matches, their Tuscan counterparts bounced back from a below-par November to start the new month with back-to-back victories.
Match preview
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Following last week's 2-1 win at Sassuolo - when second-half goals from Paulo Dybala and Rasmus Kristensen turned the game around - resurgent Roma moved into the top four, ahead of reigning champions Napoli on goal difference.
Jose Mourinho's men started the 2023-24 campaign sluggishly but have now gained 19 points from their last eight matches - only league-leading Inter Milan and Juventus (both 20) have fared better over the same period.
Much of their points haul is owed to a series of late interventions, and throughout 2023 Roma have scored no fewer than 24 league goals from the 76th minute onwards in Serie A, including seven of their last eight.
In addition to such never-say-die spirit, the Giallorossi have recently dominated all-comers on Roman soil, winning each of their last five matches as hosts; they most recently put together a longer streak between 2016 and 2017, when current Italy boss Luciano Spalletti was still in charge at the Olimpico.
By contrast, a club that reached UEFA finals in both of the past two years have stuttered somewhat in Europe, and last month's 1-1 draw with Servette effectively consigned them to the Europa League's knockout-round playoffs for a second straight season.
Nonetheless, Roma have already secured a top-two finish in Group G with one game remaining, and ahead of next week's finale at home to Sheriff Tiraspol they will aim to extend their superb run of form on home turf.
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After their second win in three against Roma - a 2-1 success in May - Fiorentina now seek back-to-back league victories over the capital club for the first time since 2012. However, the Tuscan team have kept a clean sheet only once in the clubs' last 30 Serie A meetings at Stadio Olimpico, conceding goals at an average of 2.2 per game.
While history will not be on their side when they visit the Eternal City, Fiorentina can at least travel south with several good results to their name since the start of November.
Vincenzo Italiano's side have come out on top in five of their last six matches, including last week's 3-0 Serie A defeat of Salernitana and a midweek penalty-shootout success in the Coppa Italia.
The former took them sixth in Serie A and just one point behind fourth-placed Roma, while the latter was a more finely-balanced affair against Parma, with M'Bala Nzola and Riccardo Sottil producing late goals to take the last-16 tie into extra time, before Parma missed twice from the spot.
Beaten finalists last season, Fiorentina are therefore into the cup quarter-finals once again, and two recent Europa Conference League wins have also assured progress in continental competition.
However, having lost their last two Serie A away matches without scoring a goal, Italiano will be keen to build on some signs of improvement by winning in Rome this weekend.
Team News
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November's Serie A 'Player of the Month', Paulo Dybala has both scored and provided assists in both of his last two league matches, and the mercurial Argentine attacker should join Romelu Lukaku up front for Roma on Sunday.
Jose Mourinho may in fact name an unchanged side following last week's win over Sassuolo, although captain Lorenzo Pellegrini is pushing for inclusion in the starting XI after being consigned to a cameo role at the Mapei Stadium.
Long-term absentees Tammy Abraham and Marash Kumbulla remain on the road to recovery from ACL injuries, while Chris Smalling is still sidelined by tendinitis, but Mourinho otherwise has a full squad to select from.
Meanwhile, Fiorentina's only missing men should be longstanding treatment-room occupants Dodo and Gaetano Castrovilli, as Nico Gonzalez is expected to shake off a muscular problem and Jonathan Ikone hopes to overcome an illness.
The visitors will make changes after several fringe players started Wednesday's cup win, with Yerry Mina among those to be benched, but back-up goalkeeper Oliver Christensen may fancy keeping his place after making a number of saves to help his team edge past Parma.
Set to play his 300th match as a starter in Serie A, Giacomo Bonaventura has been directly involved in more goals than any other midfielder throughout Italy's top flight this season: eight - six of his own and two assists.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Llorente, N'Dicka; Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini, Zalewski; Dybala, Lukaku
Fiorentina possible starting lineup:
Terracciano; Kayode, Martinez Quarta, Ranieri, Biraghi; Duncan, Arthur; Gonzalez, Bonaventura, Kouame; Nzola
We say: Roma 2-1 Fiorentina
Fiorentina do not always travel well, while Roma are a formidable force at home. The Giallorossi should therefore expect to continue their upturn in fortunes, as their squad depth is now quite impressive; helping them stay strong into the latter stages.
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