Roma suffered their second defeat of the season last time out, losing 3-1 to Torino after a poor all-round performance. It was a very disappointing afternoon for Luciano Spalletti’s men, who had been looking to build on a 4-0 thrashing of Crotone a few days previously, and one that raised further question marks about whether the capital club have what it takes to launch a sustained challenge for the title this term. A convincing display and result against Inter on Sunday night would certainly be a step in the right direction, but Roma fans may be a little worried about seeing their team fall further behind Juventus in top spot – the gap currently stands at five points, but could become eight depending on what happens this weekend.
Inter have had an even more mixed start to the campaign than their upcoming opponents: although wins have been recorded against Pescara, Juve and Empoli, Frank de Boer’s men have dropped points in seemingly straightforward meetings with Chievo (a 2-0 loss), Palermo (a 1-1 draw) and Bologna (another 1-1 draw). They will still be confident of being involved in the Scudetto picture, though, particularly as De Boer and a host of summer signings are now beginning to settle into their new surroundings; the Nerazzurri will certainly need to develop some sort of consistency going forward, but they have shown so far this year that they have the tools to beat any opponent on their day.
Roma will have to make do without defenders Thomas Vermaelen, Antonio Rudiger and Mario Rui for Sunday’s match, but Spalletti has a full array of midfielders and attackers available for selection. Francesco Totti will probably be left out of the XI despite his excellent form of late, with centre-forward Edin Dzeko set to be flanked by Mohamed Salah and Diego Perotti, while Kostas Manolas will be a key figure in the heart of the backline.
Inter are hoping to have Jeison Murillo and Joao Mario available for selection, but Marco Andreolli looks set to miss out. Mauro Icardi is heavily relied upon for goals – the Argentine has netted six of his side’s eight strikes in Serie A – and will start up front, with Ever Banega, Antonio Candreva and Ivan Perisic the players set to be tasked with supplying the ammunition.
Taking everything into account, it could be worth backing Roma to come out on top at the Stadio Olimpico. Home advantage could prove to be the decisive factor between two teams who look to be pretty evenly-matched, so a 2-1 victory for the Giallorossi could be the way to go in this one. Another potential betting option is Totti to score anytime – while the 40-year-old will almost certainly start on the bench, he has been in excellent form in cameo appearances and remains Roma’s penalty-taker.
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