Roma vs Torino

Stadio Olimpico sets the stage for a tasty-looking Serie A meeting between Roma and Torino.
Roma’s renaissance under new manager Daniele De Rossi survived dramatic moments in midweek Europa League action as ‘I Giallorossi’ squeaked past Feyenoord on penalties. Barring a pair of draws against the Dutch outfit, the rest of Roma’s matches under De Rossi have followed an ‘all or nothing’ theme (W4, L1), with all four Serie A wins in that stretch coming against the sides positioned 16th or worse. Despite losing their most recent home league outing to runaway leaders Inter Milan (4-2), the hosts will take the field in a buoyant mood after winning eight of their last ten league matches at the Olimpico against the teams stranded beneath them in the table (D2). Maintaining that run would bolster Roma’s chances of whittling down a seven-point deficit on fourth-placed Bologna.

In the meantime, mid-table Torino failed to live up to expectations last time out as Roma’s arch-rivals Lazio thumped them 2-0 in midweek Serie A action, leaving them stuck in 10th. Having won just once in their last four league games (D2, L1), ‘I Granata’ seem incapable of halting a three-game winless streak against Roma in the capital (D1, L2). Since three of their four most recent league fixtures saw one or both sides fail to get on the scoresheet, scoring an early goal could go a long way in deciding this contest. Moreover, four of Torino’s last five top-flight encounters against Roma have featured under 2.5 goals, underscoring the importance of breaking the deadlock while highlighting the potential for a low-scoring affair.