Roma’s elusive pursuit of their first Serie A top-four finish since 2017/18 continues on Saturday as they welcome Hellas Verona to the Stadio Olimpico. Both sides have blown hot and cold lately, and we predict this to be one rollercoaster of a game.
Sitting seven points adrift of Juventus, who drew 1-1 with Torino on Friday, Roma can ill-afford to bypass this opportunity to whittle down the gap to four. However, a brace of stalemates with Genoa and Sassuolo suggests Jose Mourinho’s men are lacking a cutting edge, as witnessed in their underwhelming 2-0 Coppa Italia elimination to Inter.
Meanwhile, Verona bounced back from a 2-0 defeat at Juventus with a scintillating 4-0 romping of Udinese last time out. Having reduced the distance on sixth-placed Lazio, Igor Tudor’s men are now harbouring genuine hopes of securing an unexpected European finish.
Roma Form Guide
Despite registering partial success across their last five Serie A home matches (W2, D2, L1), Roma will feel confident about their winning prospects here. The Giallorossi are unbeaten in their last 24 Serie A meetings with Verona in the nation’s capital (W19, D5) since losing in the 1973/74 campaign.
What’s more, Roma have netted a whopping 33 goals across their last 12 home league encounters against Verona, at an average of 2.8 per game. That’s a sharp contrast to their recent scoring exploits at the Stadio Olimpico, where they’ve netted one goal or less in three of their last four league outings.
Whether it’s the ‘Mourinho effect’ or a lack of composure in the front third, Roma have scored 2+ goals in just 38% of their Serie A home fixtures this term. However, in a reflection of Mourinho’s ‘park-the-bus’ reputation, they boast a league-high seven Serie A clean sheet on home turf.
Hellas Verona Form Guide
Unlike their hosts, Verona have been one of the most exciting Italian teams to watch since the calendar year flipped to 2022. Except for the abovementioned 2-0 loss at Juventus, each of their remaining five Serie A games this year has featured over 2.5 total goals. Also, none of those matches have ended as a draw (W4, L1).
Moreover, 58% of Verona’s Serie A fixtures on the hostile ground this season have witnessed 3+ goals at full-time, with nine of their 12 league travels so far seeing both teams on the scoresheet. No wonder they carry a reputation as entertainers.
Verona are the only side in Europe’s top-five leagues to have three players with 9+ goals to their names this season, highlighting Tudor’s attacking-minded approach. Giovanni Simeone already has 12 Serie A goals under his belt in 2021/22, while Gianluca Caprari and Antonin Barak have both racked up nine goals apiece.
Roma vs Hellas Verona Prediction
Roma’s last five Serie A matches against Verona have produced over 2.5 goals, with four of them witnessing both teams scoring. Indeed, their topsy-turvy reverse fixture at Marc’Antonio Bentegodi saw the Gialloblu come from a 1-0 half-time deficit to claim a 3-2 victory.
Additionally, their last two top-flight H2Hs at the Stadio Olimpico have contained 2+ first-half goals in matches garnering over 2.5 total goals with both sides scoring. So we expect this to be a high-scoring affair, with plenty of action on both ends of the pitch.