Sampdoria will be looking to recover from their weekend defeat to Inter Milan when they travel to the Stadio Olimpico to take on Roma on Wednesday evening.
Roma, meanwhile, are returning to action for the first time since the coronavirus-enforced shutdown and are six points adrift of the Champions League places as things stand.
Match preview
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Roma's push for a top-four finish started to gather momentum just before the shutdown, as Paulo Fonseca's side enjoyed two victories on the bounce over Cagliari and Lecce before play was abruptly halted.
I Giallorossi endured a dismal run of form prior to those wins as they suffered three consecutive defeats in February, but a spot in the Champions League places is very much a realistic target for Roma as they lie fifth on 45 points.
Fourth-placed Atalanta managed to extend their lead over Roma to six points following their victory over Sassuolo on Sunday, although Fonseca's side are clear of sixth-placed Napoli by the same margin prior to their first game back.
Last season was the first time that Roma had failed to secure a top-four finish since 2013, so Fonseca will no doubt be ready to battle for a spot in the top four as he aims to bring Champions League football back to the Roma faithful.
However, I Giallorossi's recent home form makes for bleak reading as Fonseca's men have only taken four points from a possible 15 on familiar territory since the turn of the year.
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Sampdoria's first game back in the Italian top flight was a difficult test against high-flying Inter Milan, and Claudio Ranieri was forced to witness his former side record a 2-1 victory over his current team courtesy of goals from Romelu Lukaku and Lautaro Martinez.
The result means that Sampdoria are firmly embroiled in a relegation dogfight after 26 matches, and Ranieri's side are only one clear of the bottom three as they sit 16th on 26 points.
I Blucerchiati have achieved top-ten finishes in their last three Serie A campaigns, but their stint in the big time is certainly under threat of being cut short following their promotion from Serie B in 2012.
Ranieri's side managed to pick up wins over Torino and Hellas Verona before the enforced shutdown, although their record of seven wins, five draws and 14 losses means they are in a precarious position near the foot of the table.
The most recent meeting between Roma and Sampdoria ended in a goalless stalemate back in October.
Roma competition form: DLLLWW
Roma form (all competitions): LLWWDW
Sampdoria competition form: DLWLWL
Team News
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Liverpool-linked Nicolo Zaniolo is continuing his recovery from a cruciate ligament rupture and will not feature for the visit of Sampdoria.
Pau Lopez and Gianluca Mancini are doubtful for this one but should play a part before the season is over, and Amadou Diawara is available again following a knee injury.
Arsenal loanee Henrikh Mkhitaryan is reportedly struggling for match fitness and might not make the starting lineup on Wednesday, with Lorenzo Pellegrini expected to fill in for the Armenian.
Last season's Serie A top scorer Fabio Quagliarella is expected to miss out for Sampdoria with a calf issue, and fellow striker Manolo Gabbiadini is also a doubt.
The duo are set to join Alex Ferrari on the sidelines for Ranieri's men, with the defender out for the season with a sprained knee.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Mirante; Peres, Smalling, Fazio, Kolarov; Veretout, Cristante; Under, Pellegrini, Kluivert; Dzeko
Sampdoriaa possible starting lineup:
Audero; Bereszynski, Colley, Tonelli, Murru; Thorsby, Ekdal, Vieira, Jankto; Ramirez, Gumina
We say: Roma 2-0 Sampdoria
Sampdoria did not make life easy for Inter when the sides locked horns at the weekend, but Ranieri's men ultimately emerged empty-handed as the quality of I Nerazzurri shone through. A similar story is likely to occur on Wednesday, and we are backing Roma to mark their return to action with a comfortable three points.
Data Analysis
Our analysis of all available data, including recent performances and player stats up until an hour before kickoff, suggested the most likely outcome of this match was a Roma win with a probability of 64.47%. A draw had a probability of 19.3% and a win for Sampdoria had a probability of 16.19%.
The most likely scoreline for a Roma win was 2-1 with a probability of 9.86%. The next most likely scorelines for that outcome were 2-0 (9.73%) and 1-0 (8.82%). The likeliest drawn scoreline was 1-1 (8.93%), while for a Sampdoria win it was 1-2 (4.52%). The actual scoreline of 2-1 was predicted with a 9.9% likelihood. Our data analysis correctly predicted a 2-1 win for Roma in this match.
