Stat Attack: Facts to know ahead of season opener against Hellas Verona

Roma begin their 2020-21 Serie A campaign at the Stadio Marcantonio Bentegodi on Saturday night, hoping to get back underway with a bang.

Here are 10 pre-match facts worth knowing ahead of the first matchday of the new season, which kicks-off at 20:45 CEST...

A fixture in Roma’s favour...

Of the previous 58 Serie A meetings between the two sides, Roma have won more than half - picking up 30 victories, while losing just nine times and drawing the remaining 19 fixtures.

…with a winning habit recently reinforced...

That record has been drilled home in recent years, with Roma unbeaten in their last 17 matches against the Gialloblu (W12, D5), while they have won each of the previous four outings and are going in search of a fifth win on the spin over the Venetians for the first time in the club’s history.

… and plenty of goals to speak of!

With that run of form in mind, it may come as little surprise that Roma have also found the back of the net in every one of the past 22 top-flight matches against Verona.

A happy hunting ground

The stats get even more encouraging when you consider that Roma have lost just once on their travels to Verona in their last 14 trips (W7, D6, L1) - dating back to the 2-1 defeat in October, 1996 - and the Giallorossi have also scored in 11 consecutive away games against Saturday’s hosts.

A great place to start...

These two sides have met on the opening weekend of the season five times before - the last of which being the 1-1 draw that inaugurated both sides' 2015-16 campaigns - with Verona at home on each of those occasions and Roma unbeaten over the course of that quintet of season openers (W1, D4).

…and to pick up from

Roma are also unbeaten in their last eight matchday one fixtures (W5, D3), while they ended the 2019-20 season in fine form; going eight games unbeaten (W7, D1), winning all four of their final fixtures, including a 3-1 win over champions Juventus that meant they have won each of their last four away games in the league.

An immediate return

Just two days after swapping Verona for Rome, Marash Kumbulla could make his debut for Paulo Fonseca’s side against his old club - for whom he made 25 Serie A appearances last season and first joined as an eight-year-old in 2008.

Welcome to the 100 club?

If Edin Dzeko features and then manages to help Roma notch up a win this weekend, it will be the Bosnian’s 100th Serie A victory.

Midfielder Jordan Veretout will also make his 100th Serie A start should the Frenchman make Fonseca’s starting XI and both players have previous against Verona, with Dzeko unbeaten in six against them and Veretout bagging two goals in his last four outings against the yellow and blues.

On the brink of history

Dzeko - who has also scored three goals in his six Serie A matches against Verona - is just one goal away from moving above Rodolfo Volk’s return of 106 strikes for Roma and would move alone in fourth on the club's all-time top-scorers list if he finds the back of the net on Saturday.

Quick out the blocks

Summer signing Pedro could be in line to make his first appearance in the famous Giallorosso and the Spaniard certainly seems to enjoy matchday one, as he has been involved in eight goals (five goals, three assists) in his last eight campaign curtain-raisers across spells in both Spain’s La Liga and the English Premier League.