20 August 2021, 21:19 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
Serie A fixture, AS Roma vs. ACF Fiorentina, kicks off at 19:45 (GMT+1) on Sunday, August 22 at the Stadio Olimpico.
Preview Roma Serie A, Aug 22, 2021
Preview Roma returns behind the 2-1 win over Trabzonspor in Thursday's UEFA Europa Conference League qualifying round. It marked the first competitive win for Jose Mourinho on the job. Last season, Roma finished in 7th place and missed out entirely on the UEFA Champions League and the UEFA Europa League. However, with the arrival of Jose Mourinho, things look a lot promising. The 58-year-old requires no introduction to Serie A as his record with Inter Milan speaks volumes. Two Serie A titles (2008/2009 & 2009/2010), Coppa Italia (2009/2010), Supercoppa Italiana (2008) and the UEFA Champions League (2009/2010). - Yet he is considered by many as a spent force. It may be too early to consider Roma for the title, but a top-four finish will surely be in Mourinho's plans. In preparation for the task ahead, AS Roma secured the signature of goalkeeper, Rui Patricio from Wolves for €11.5M while another €17M was splashed on centre-forward, Eldor Shomurodov. After the sudden departure of Edin Dzeko to Inter Milan, the club convinced want-away, Chelsea's Tammy Abraham to put pen to paper for a summer switch in a deal worth €40M. Jose Mourinho considers the deal as a coup. On Sunday, Mourinho will re-introduce himself to Serie A on his domestic debut for the club. A 4--2--3--1 formation with Eldor Shomurodov leading the attack is expected. Shomurodov got a goal against Trabzonspor in Thursday's Europa Conference League qualifying fixture.
Preview Fiorentina Serie A, Aug 22, 2021
Preview ACF Fiorentina return behind the massive 4-0 win over Cosenza in the Coppa Italia fixture played last Friday, the 13th of August. It was the first competitive win for new boss, Vincenzo Italiano in the coaching seat for the Violets. Last season, Fiorentina finished in 13th place under the guidance of Giuseppe Lachini after picking up 40 points despite struggling for most part of the 2020/21 season. Lachini returned in March 2021, for his second spell after Cesare Prandelli resigned, citing personal reasons. The club eventually parted ways with Lachini at the end of the season, - bringing in Vincenzo Italiano after the latter guaranteed Spezia top-flight football for another season. Vincenzo Italiano will be in the hunt for three points against Roma in order to get Fiorentina's campaign off to a flying start. The Lillies could line up with an attacking 4--3--3 formation with Dusan Vlahovic playing the centre-forward role. Fiorentina may be without defensive midfielder, Sofyan Amrabat on the opening day of the season.