Monday’s Serie A action kicks off at the Stadio Marc’Antonio Bentegodi as early relegation candidates Hellas Verona take on top-four hopefuls Roma in a high-stakes fixture. It’s a must-win game for both sides, albeit for different reasons, which promises plenty of excitement to neutrals.
Last season’s ninth-place Serie A finish looks so remote from Verona’s point of view following a woeful 11-game start to the 2022/23 league season (W1, D2, L8). The club’s desperate attempt to turn the team’s fortunes around by replacing Igor Tudor’s successor Gabriele Cioffi with inexperienced manager Salvatore Bocchetti has yet to pay dividends.
After a somewhat expected 2-1 home defeat to defending champions Milan on his touchline debut, Bocchetti was left fuming as Verona turned an early 1-0 lead into a 2-1 loss away to Sassuolo last weekend. Coming into this matchday, the Gialloblu have lost six consecutive Serie A games for only the third time in the club’s history.
Ominously for Bocchetti’s lads, the last two times they endured a similar run, Verona went on to lose the seventh. Then it’s no wonder the odds are heavily stacked against them ahead of Roma’s visit to the Bentegodi. Despite going toe-to-toe with a relentless Napoli side for most of the game last weekend, Jose Mourinho’s side lost it 1-0 at the death.
Victor Osimhen’s late strike at the Stadio Olimpico undid Roma’s three-game winning league streak beforehand, leaving them two points behind fourth-placed Atalanta. However, inspired by a hard-earned 1-0 win at HJK in midweek Europa League action, Roma will be out to get back to winning ways in Serie A and tighten the grip on a coveted fourth spot.
Match Preview
Hellas Verona
The number one priority on Bocchetti’s assignment list is to shore up Verona’s defensive woes, something his predecessor Cioffi miserably failed at.
Only rock-bottom newcomers Cremonese (22) have conceded more Serie A goals this season than the Gialloblu (21), with the hosts shipping precisely two goals across their last six league outings.
Even though they also conceded twice in both of last season’s top-flight matches against Roma, Verona went unbeaten on each occasion (W1, D1), including an enthralling 2-2 draw in this corresponding fixture back in February.
While the recent head-to-head stakes may inspire some confidence in the home camp, back-to-back home defeats to Roma’s fellow top-half rivals Milan and Udinese threaten to dampen the enthusiasm.
On top of that, an underwhelming five-point tally after 11 Serie A games in 2022/23 compared to the 15 they obtained at this stage in 2021/22 best illustrates Verona’s noticeable markdown compared to last season.
Roma
After losing consecutive away contests across two competitions in early September, Roma have gone into overdrive, racking up a five-game unbeaten run on the road (W4, D1). However, there’s a feeling that Mourinho’s side lack conviction on hostile turf, with each of those four wins coming via a slender one-goal margin.
Though there’s no doubt the ‘Special One’ wouldn’t mind another keenly-contested victory, Roma cannot take anything for granted here despite Verona’s nightmarish start to the season. The Giallorossi have only won once in their last four Serie A encounters against the Veneto outfit (D1, L2), conceding precisely three goals on their two previous visits to the Bentegodi (L2).
On the bright side, a narrow 1-0 triumph at Verona’s fellow relegation strugglers Sampdoria on their most recent domestic travel took Roma’s winning away league streak to three matches. Another success here would see last season’s Europa Conference League winners string together four consecutive Serie A wins on the road for the first time since 2019/20.
Hellas Verona vs Roma Potential Line-ups
Hellas Verona (3-4-1-2): Lorenzo Montipo; Isak Hien, Koray Gunter, Federico Ceccherini; Davide Faraoni, Adrien Tameze, Miguel Veloso, Fabio Depaoli; Simone Verdi; Thomas Henry, Roberto Piccoli.
Roma (3-5-2-): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Mateus Vina; Rick Karsdorp, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Mady Camara, Leonardo Spinazzola; Nicolo Zaniolo, Tammy Abraham.