The Daily Star Ireland
Roma has had a disappointing season so far, sitting in 12th place in Serie A, 12 points adrift of the 6th spot. This poor run has significantly hurt their chances of qualifying for European competitions, leading to two coaching changes already this season. After losing three of their last four games before the international break, Roma parted ways with Ivan Juric. Under Claudio Ranieri, they failed to bounce back, suffering a 1-0 loss to league leaders Napoli.
In contrast, Atalanta has been in outstanding form and has strong ambitions this season, especially after their Europa League success last year. Currently in second place in Serie A, just one point behind the leaders, Atalanta has been on a roll, winning their last seven league matches, including victories over Genoa, Venice, Hellas Verona, Monza, Napoli, Udinese, and Parma. Their impressive run continued in the Champions League, where they secured a 1-6 win over Young Boys.
Roma will be without key players such as defender Hermoso, winger Saelemaekers, and striker Shomurodov, while midfielder Pisilli is suspended. Roma’s attack relies on Ukrainian forward Dovbyk, who has scored four goals in Serie A, and French midfielder Koné, both of whom have been among the few bright spots this season. However, Pellegrini and Dybala have underperformed so far.
Atalanta, despite missing injured players like Zappacosta and Scamacca, remains a powerful team. Their attack, led by De Ketelaere and Retegui, who each scored twice against Young Boys, continues to shine. Lookman, with 7 goals and 4 assists in Serie A, is also expected to start in the upcoming match.
Prediction
Atalanta’s current form is impressive, having earned 33 points from the last 35 available, including six consecutive away wins. Roma, however, has struggled to find form, failing to win any of their last 11 Serie A matches, with four draws and eight losses.
Prediction: Roma 0 – 4 Atalanta.
