13 December 2021, 13:33 | 28 August 2021, 15:29
The Serie A fixture, AS Roma vs. Spezia Calcio, kicks off at 20:45 (GMT+1) on Monday, December 13, at the Stadio Olimpico.
Preview Roma Serie A, Dec 13, 2021
Preview Following the 3-2 win over PFC CSKA Sofia on Thursday, Roma finished at the top of their section in the UEFA Europa Conference League. Roma picked up 13 points in UECL Group C, one point above the runners-up FK Bodø/Glimt. Back on Italian soil, the She-Wolf suffered an embarrassing 3-0 defeat to arch-rivals Inter Milan last weekend at the Stadio Olimpico. A goal from Hakan Çalhanoğlu (15') put Inter in the lead in the first fifteen minutes before the Bosnian Diamond, Edin Dzeko (24'), struck for the second. Denzel Dumfries (39') bagged Inter’s third and wrapped up all three points six minutes before the end of the first half. Having suffered back-to-back defeats, LWWLL, AS Roma dropped two spots off the Serie A table, moving from 5th to 7th place, while having 25 points from 8W, 1D, and 7L. AS Roma are unbeaten in their last 10 Serie A matches played on the first day of the week (W7, D3, & 0L), and Monday’s fixture will present a new window of opportunity for Jose Mourinho to return to winning ways. The Special One will be going with three at the back once again, fashioned in the 3—1—4—2 formation. Due to a yellow card suspension, Roma were without Tammy Abraham for the game against Inter Milan on Matchday 16. However, the 24-year-old is expected to return to the starting line-up to pair up with Eldor Shomurodov in attack. Nicolò Zaniolo is suspended while Stephan El Shaarawy (calf injury) and Lorenzo Pellegrini (muscle injury) are in doubt.
Preview Spezia Serie A, Dec 13, 2021
Preview Last weekend, Spezia gave up a two-goal lead and had to settle for a point following the 2-2 draw against Sassuolo at the Stadio Alberto Picco. Rey Manaj (35’) and Emmanuel Gyasi (47’) had Spezia cruising with the double minutes after the break. But the game took a dramatic turn six minutes after the hour. Giacomo Raspadori (66’ & 79’) cut Spezia’s lead down to one before returning for the brace thirteen minutes later to restore parity. Spezia is in 17th place with 12 points from 3W, 3D, and 10L, and have the form: WLLLD. The Black and Whites have lost their last five Serie A away games, but Thiago Motta will be aiming for at least a point on Monday, in a bid to remain above the bottom three. A 4—4—2 formation with M'Bala Nzola and Rey Manaj posing as the attacking duo is anticipated for this game against Roma. Emmanuel Gyasi (head injury) is ruled out of this fixture alongside Leo Sena (muscle injury).