Comovs.Roma

While the Giallorossi have scored seven times in two games to finally halt their decline, their hosts are winless in nine and remain stuck inside the drop zone.

Match preview

Responding to the avuncular approach of Rome-born club hero Claudio Ranieri, Roma have begun to recover from an awful start to their 2024-25 campaign, which saw them slump into the bottom half of Serie A and threatened hopes of progress in the Europa League.

On Thursday night, they dealt Braga a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Stadio Olimpico, where Mario Hermoso completed the scoring against 10-man opponents, following earlier goals from Saud Abdulhamid and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini.

That result not only extended a fine home record in UEFA's second-tier competition but also took the Giallorossi up to 14th place in the standings, and as things stand they would qualify for a seeded spot in the playoffs - a cherished top-eight finish is still up for grabs, too.

Days earlier, Roma finally ended a run of four domestic defeats by beating Lecce 4-1 in the capital, as three second-half strikes secured the first victory of Ranieri's third spell in charge.

However, they have not won any of their last 10 away games in Serie A, ahead of their weekend trip to Lombardy - the club's worst such run since the first few months of the century.

In his 479th match as a coach in Italy's top flight, Ranieri will now face a 48th different opponent - joining Carlo Mazzone on that league-high mark - and victory will be his sole aim on Sunday.

Historically, Como have failed to even score in eight of their 12 Serie A home games against Roma, though the teams' most recent league meeting was way back in 2003, when the Lariani actually won 2-0.

A repeat result this week is sorely needed by the current side, coached by Cesc Fabregas, as they are in distinct danger of making a swift return to the second tier at the end of this season.

Last term's Serie B runners-up were pegged back by fellow promoted strugglers Venezia last time out, being forced to settle for a disappointing 2-2 draw despite ex-Roma striker Andrea Belotti putting them in front just before the hour mark.

Though they have now lost just one of their last four fixtures, Como are without a win since September and still await their first clean sheet of the campaign.

Only Hellas Verona have conceded goals at a greater rate on home turf, and the Lombardy side's average of 2.2 per game will read like an invitation to Roma's rejuvenated attack.

Como Serie A form:

L

L

D

L

D

D

Roma Serie A form:

W

L

L

L

L

W

Roma form (all competitions):

L

L

D

L

W

W

Team News

After making a handful of changes in midweek, Claudio Ranieri is set to rotate his resources again at Stadio Sinigaglia, with Zeki Celik back from injury and Leandro Paredes expected to overcome an illness that ruled him out on Thursday.

Artem Dovbyk could return up front, which would most likely see Lorenzo Pellegrini relegated to the bench and Paulo Dybala dropped into a deeper role.

Should he score on Sunday evening, Dybala would have found the net against 18 of the 20 current Serie A clubs, joining Romelu Lukaku and Duvan Zapata on that mark.

Meanwhile, Como's Andrea Belotti has scored six league goals against Roma to date, having also played 45 times for the Giallorossi and averaged only 0.07 goals per game.

Belotti recently displaced Patrick Cutrone in the Lariani's front line, as the latter has failed to register in any of his last nine appearances.

On the hosts' absence list, Cesc Fabregas is still missing midfielder Maximo Perrone and veteran left-back Alberto Moreno, though Sergi Roberto is set to return from a long layoff.

Como possible starting lineup:

Reina; Van der Brempt, Goldaniga, Kempf, Iovine; Engelhardt, Da Cunha; Strefezza, Paz, Fadera; Belotti

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Celik, Kone, Paredes, Angelino; Dybala, Saelemaekers; Dovbyk

We say: Como 0-2 Roma

There is still a significant rebuild required at Roma, where Claudio Ranieri is keeping the seat warm for a permanent successor at the end of this season.

Written by

Jonathan O'Shea

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