After taking just a point from their last two matches, Roma aim to end their Serie A schedule for 2022 on a high when they host Torino on Sunday.
In their final fixture before Italy's top flight shuts down and the World Cup takes centre stage, the Giallorossi tackle a side that closed to within two places of them in the table with a midweek win over Sampdoria.
Match preview
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Just days after losing a tense Derby della Capitale to arch-rivals Lazio by a single goal, Roma were back in action on Wednesday night, when they travelled to Sassuolo.
Though substitute striker Tammy Abraham scored his fourth goal of a difficult second season to give the visitors the lead, Andrea Pinamonti struck back from close range soon after; rescuing a point for the Neroverdi.
A slow start to November has therefore seen Jose Mourinho's side slip outside the top four - though only by two points. Already 12 adrift of leaders Napoli, they have not only fallen behind derby victors Lazio since October's end, but also Inter and Juventus.
The only positive news for the capital club of late pertains to their European ambitions, as beating Bulgarian champions Ludogorets on the final day of their group stage campaign secured a Europa League playoff with RB Salzburg, to be played early next year.
While their domestic form still lacks consistency, and scoring goals remains a challenge in the absence of injured star Paulo Dybala, Roma have failed to find the net just once in the last 23 Serie A meetings with their final opponents of 2022.
Indeed, before Sunday's calendar-year finale, the Giallorossi have also won 15 of their last 17 games against Torino at Stadio Olimpico.
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Since the end of 2015, there have been 10 wins for Roma and three for Torino when the clubs have met in Serie A, with the most recent encounter being a 3-0 home defeat for the Granata in May.
Ivan Juric's side fared far better on their last outing in Turin, though, when they took care of business against a struggling Sampdoria side on Wednesday night; scoring once in either half to secure maximum points - summer signings Nikola Vlasic and Nemanja Radonjic both finding the net.
That result not only lifted Il Toro up to ninth in the standings but also provided an instant response to last weekend's implosion at Stadio Renato Dall'Ara, where they threw away a lead during the final half-hour and returned from Bologna empty-handed.
Having remained unbeaten in seven straight Serie A away matches previously, Torino have now lost four of five since September, with their sole success coming against Udinese last month.
Certainly, such a streak does not bode well for their trip to the capital, where they will reconvene with club legend Andrea Belotti, now of Roma.
Team News
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After giving a surprise start to supposed Torino transfer target Eldor Shomurodov in midweek, Jose Mourinho must now decide whether to recall Tammy Abraham - or even Granata goalscoring great Andrea Belotti, who netted 100 goals in 232 Serie A appearances for Sunday's visitors.
Abraham's opener against Sassuolo last time out means the striker recently excluded from England's World Cup squad could now score in successive Serie A appearances for the first time since March - however, he is yet to register a league goal at the Olimpico this term.
While Paulo Dybala has finally rejoined training after a month out of action with a muscular injury, the Qatar-bound forward is not expected to feature for his club this week; joining Georginio Wijnaldum, Leonardo Spinazzola and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini on the sidelines.
Torino centre-forward Pietro Pellegri bagged his first Serie A goal against Roma back in May 2017, aged just 16 years and 72 days, but has a fight on his hands to displace Nikola Vlasic or Nemanja Radonjic - who both scored on Wednesday - upon his return from injury.
Ola Aina, Sasa Lukic and Perr Schuurs are all set to miss the trip to Rome because of injury, and the latter could be replaced by Alessandro Buongiorno in the visitors' back three.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Celik, Cristante, Camara, Zalewski; Volpato; Zaniolo, Abraham
Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Djidji, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Lazaro, Ricci, Linetty, Vojvoda; Miranchuk, Vlasic; Pellegri
We say: Roma 1-1 Torino
The last Serie A draw between Roma and Torino was almost seven years ago, but a low-scoring stalemate could be on the cards this week, as both sides have found the net at a rate barely over one-goal-per-game so far.
The Giallorossi have lacked invention since Dybala's departure for the treatment room, so their final Stadio Olimpico appearance of 2022 may prove to be something of a damp squib.
For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.
Jonathan O'Shea
