Roma will be out to continue their surge up the Serie A table when they encounter Monza at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon. Let’s look at our match preview for this contest.
Romelu Lukaku’s brace inspired Roma to a landslide 4-1 victory at promoted Cagliari on the stroke of the international break. Manager Jose Mourinho can only hope the pause hasn’t taken the wind out of his side’s sails. Three consecutive wins across all competitions have seemingly brought Giallorossi back on track.
With Roma finally catching some break on the back of Lukaku’s stellar performances after a poor start without him, the European spots are on the cards again. Despite beginning this round pinned to mid-table, only three points separate them from fifth-placed Napoli. But six are standing between them and fourth-placed Fiorentina.
On that basis, Roma can ill-afford more slip-ups if they’re to reignite their hopes of qualifying for next season’s Champions League. Monza can, however, throw a spanner in the works. Raffaele Palladino’s men had been busy building a head of steam before the international break curtailed their momentum.
After two defeats across their opening three Serie A matches (W1), the visitors have gone unbeaten in their last five (W2, D3). Sought-after Andrea Colpani was on the scoresheet for the fourth time this term as Monza humbled Salernitana 3-0 at home last time out, making it two wins in a row ahead of this challenging trip to the capital.
Match Preview
Roma
Mourinho’s future at Roma has been a subject of wild speculation these past few weeks. However, after Giallorossi started finding their feet under the Portuguese boss again, the ex-Manchester United manager seems to have weathered the storm. Roma’s sterling home displays have been of massive help.
Following a two-game winless home run at the start of the new campaign (D1, L1), they’ve won their last three outings at the Olimpico by a combined score of 13-0. Roma also thumped Monza 3-0 in this corresponding fixture in 2022/23, increasing the likelihood of them adding another clean sheet to their ever-growing tally.
Indeed, Mourinho’s lads have registered more shutouts on home turf than any other Serie A side in 2023.
Players to Watch: Romelu Lukaku
The Belgium captain cannot stop scoring! He has found the net in his last five appearances for club and country. Lukaku has only failed to score once in seven games since making his first Roma start in a 7-0 thrashing of Empoli.
Monza
So far, only Milan and Genoa have fended off Lukaku. But Monza won’t shy away from the task. They’ve clocked up three successive clean sheets in Serie A in the build-up to this encounter. In fact, they’ve not conceded a league goal for 348 minutes, accounting for the longest ongoing such run in Italy’s top flight.
Yet, goals have been at a premium for Monza. Before putting three past Salernitana, they had only netted five during the opening six Serie A rounds. Their eight-goal tally is the worst among the sides entering this matchday in the top half of the table. Moreover, they’ve only averaged 0.5 goals per league travel this term, scoring once in four away matches.
Player to Watch: Matteo Pessina
The Monza captain probably has the biggest motive to topple Roma after losing his three previous visits to the Olimpico. But he did score against Giallorossi during his time at Hellas Verona, just as he did against Salernitana a fortnight ago.
Team News
Roma will be without Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala this weekend, while this game comes too soon for long-term absentees Marash Kumbulla and Tammy Abraham. Summer signing Renato Sanches is also on the sidelines. On the bright side, Chris Smalling has returned to full training.
As for Monza, Gianluca Caprari and Davide Bettella are unavailable due to injuries. Alejandro Papu Gomez, who recently joined the club as a free agent, reportedly faces a lengthy doping ban for his previous transgressions at Sevilla.
Roma vs Monza Potential Lineups
Roma (3-5-2): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante, Evan Ndicka; Rick Karsdorp, Houssem Aouar, Leandro Paredes, Edoardo Bove, Leonardo Spinazzola; Andrea Belotti, Romelu Lukaku.
Monza (3-4-2-1): Michele Di Gregorio; Danilo D’Ambrosio, Pablo Mari, Luca Caldirola; Pedro Pereira, Matteo Pessina, Roberto Gagliardini, Patrick Ciurria; Andrea Colpani, Samuele Vignato; Lorenzo Colombo.
Roma vs Monza Prediction
Since the two sturdy defenses are about to collide, a small detail or a mistake could decide this contest. With Lukaku firing on all cylinders, we give Roma a slight advantage.
Prediction: Roma Win
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