CROTONE

League position: 20th
Head coach: Giovanni Stroppa
Serie A top-scorer: Junior Messias (5)

RECENT FORM

Crotone: W D L W L
Roma: W W L W W

Crotone may be rock bottom of Serie A, but they are just two points off safety thanks to their best run of the season.

They might not have four wins from five like the Giallorossi, but two wins and a draw represent a fine five-game sequence since chalking up their first victory of the season on Matchday 11.

That 4-1 dismissal of Spezia was followed up by MD14’s 2-1 success over Parma that means Crotone have won each of their last two at the Ezio Scida. A third straight home Serie A win would be their first such streak ever.

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Junior Messias

In need of divine intervention after 10 winless rounds of action, Crotone found their very own Messiah in Messias.

The 29-year-old striker has five goals for the campaign, four of which he’s bagged via a pair of braces in both of their two league wins that have held the Brazilian up as the Rossoblu’s saviour.

With his strike partner (either Emmanuel Riviere or Simy) occupying opposition defenders in the physical battle, Messias has often profitted this campaign - limiting him will be a priority for the Giallorossi.

MATCH STATS

These two have met four times previously in Italy’s top-flight, with Roma winning all four by an aggregate score of 9-0. In fact, the Giallorossi are the only side Crotone have failed to score against in their Serie A history.

The hosts have shipped goals this season, too, conceding a league-high 35 and leaking four or more goals on five separate occasions - another unwanted Serie A best for Stroppa’s men.

It would suggest there are goals to come on Wednesday, especially when you consider the combined 25 goals racked up from Roma’s last five away games and that Paulo Fonseca’s team have the fourth-most goals in the league (32) going into MD16.

Roma will also take confidence from the fact they have won 24 straight Serie A games against promoted sides (a league record) and found the net in such matches 51 straight times too.

PLAYER STATS

• Roma captain Edin Dzeko has found the net in each of his last three league outings. He last scored in four or more straight games in October 2017.
  
• Dzeko is also one goal away from drawing level with Amedeo Amadei’s 86 in the Italian top flight, a tally that places him third on the club’s all-time top-flight top-scorers list behind only Roberto Pruzzo (106) and Francesco Totti (250).
  
• Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been involved in more goals from open play than any other player in Serie A this term, with 17 goals or assists - at least four more than any other player.

WHAT THEY SAID

“We need important points. Before games against big teams we always think about negative results, but when we go onto the pitch we prove we can play on a par. We need to do something more, trying to make the most of the goal scoring opportunities we create.”

- Crotone coach Giovanni Stroppa