Sunday’s Serie A action closes out with a must-win game for out-of-sorts Roma as they welcome promoted Frosinone at the Stadio Olimpico. Let’s look at our match preview for this contest.
Less than two years since inspiring Roma to a memorable Europa Conference League triumph, Jose Mourinho finds himself stuck between a rock and a hard place. Despite having a busy summer overhauling his squad, the Special One could be staring down the barrel of dismissal amid his team’s dreadful league start.
Except for a 7-0 rout of Empoli in their most recent home outing, Roma are winless in their remaining five Serie A matches in 2023/24 (D2, L3). While it’s no shame losing 2-1 to title-bidding Milan, Mourinho can hardly find an excuse for seeing newly-promoted Genoa wipe the floor with his side on Thursday.
Roma succumbed to an embarrassing 4-1 defeat at Stadio Luigi Ferraris, casting doubt on Mourinho’s long-term prospects in the capital. Though he still has enough credit left in the bank after orchestrating two impressive European campaigns, it’s only a matter of time before the Olimpico chiefs start running out of patience.
Frosinone could expedite the process if they can stay on the upward trajectory. Since the opening-day loss to Napoli on home turf, Eusebio Di Francesco’s men have gone unbeaten in all five Serie A games (W2, D3). They most recently came from a halftime deficit to hold Fiorentina to a 1-1 draw on Thursday.
It’s been a dream top-flight return for Frosinone so far. Things could get better if they can upset the apple cart in the capital. However, with Mourinho in a precarious position, it could be easier said than done.
Match Preview
Roma
These are troubling times for Roma and their boss. Mourinho has won just one of the opening six league matches for the first time during his illustrious managerial career. But it’s only the tip of the iceberg, as this is also Giallorossi’s joint-worst six-game start to a Serie A campaign in the three-points-per-win era.
The last time Roma had only five points to their name after the opening six rounds was in 2010/11. Mourinho is a fan of omens, so he’ll relish the history books here, knowing Giallorossi finished sixth that year. But whether he’ll be at the helm at the end of the campaign remains uncertain.
Despite his ‘park the bus’ reputation, Mourinho has overseen a decent scoring ratio from his downtrodden Roma side. Only pacesetters Inter (15) boasted more Serie A goals than Giallorossi (13) at the start of this matchday. However, they’ve been leaking goals at an alarming rate, conceding a league second-high 11.
Frosinone
A two-year sabbatical from Serie A seems to have filled Di Franscesco’s tank as he’s back to Italy’s elite division with a purpose. Keeping Frosinone at the country’s top table was his primary assignment heading into the season, but his appetite might have gone up after a promising start.
This Frosinone side has a fighting spirit off the charts among promoted clubs. Before eking out a draw against Fiorentina, the Canaries pulled off an out-of-this-world comeback to beat Sassuolo 4-2 at home, coming from an early 2-0 deficit to upset Di Franscesco’s former employers.
And that’s not to mention they toppled Atalanta 2-1 on matchday two. Di Francesco, who oversaw 87 matches as a Roma manager, is angling for another upset. But he hasn’t won any of his ten previous managerial encounters against Giallorossi with three different clubs (D3, L7).
Team News
Lacking several significant first-team names could be an excuse for Mourinho’s sluggish Serie A start. The Roma tactician cannot call upon Tammy Abraham, Marash Kumbulla, and Renato Sanches for this game. On top of that, he’ll likely be without Chris Smalling and Diego Llorente, which threatens to cause his side a defensive havoc.
On the other hand, Marseille loanee Pol Lirola is the only definite absentee in the Frosinone camp. Francesco Gelli, Kaio Jorge, and Abdou Harroui aren’t 100% ready, but they’ll likely take this trip with the rest of Di Franseco’s squad.
Roma vs Frosinone Potential Lineups
Roma (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante, Evan Ndicka; Rasmus Kristensen, Edoardo Bove, Leandro Paredes, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Nicola Zalewski; Paulo Dybala, Romelu Lukaku.
Frosinone (4-3-3): Stefano Turati; Anthony Oyono, Caleb Okoli, Simone Romagnoli, Riccardo Marchizza; Luca Mazzitelli, Enzo Barrenechea, Luca Garritano; Matias Soule, Walid Cheddira, Giuseppe Caso.
Roma vs Frosinone Prediction
Based on what we’ve seen from both sides thus far, this clash can go either way. While Roma cannot afford another embarrassment for Mourinho’s sake, we envisage a draw.
Prediction: Draw
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