Roma will be without two centerpieces, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala, for about a month. The midfielder suffered a flexor strain in his right thigh that’s more severe than the previous issues that occasionally hampered him. Instead, La Joya is nursing an MCL sprain.
According to Il Messaggero, José Mourinho will primarily use 3-5-2 while they recover. He deploys a slightly different 3-4-2-1 when they are on the pitch together. The Special One showed early reservations about pairing Romelu Lukaku with Andrea Belotti, but the duo has worked out. Il Gallo has bagged three goals in the past two games next to the Belgian talisman.
Renato Sanches should return from his latest muscular problem right after the break. He and Houssem Aouar will shoulder the task of providing creativity sans Dybala and Pellegrini. Leandro Paredes, who has started almost every tilt so far, will also try to contribute more offensively.
The Portuguese gaffer often turned to Stephan El Shaarawy when the Argentine wasn’t available in the past, but the Italian forward has fared better than him so far. Serdar Azmoun will get some opportunities too. He has played just 20 minutes so far.
Our Take on Dybala and Pellegrini
They would have been in a full-fledged crisis in this spot last season, but they have more options now. They couldn’t buy good health but did add a lot of quality depth in the summer.
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