HELLAS VERONA

League position: 19th
Head coach: Igor Tudor
Top scorer: Mattia Zaccagni (2)

RECENT FORM

Verona: L W L L L
Roma: W W W W W

After just four games in charge, the hosts have dispensed of ex-Roma boss Eusebio Di Francesco and replaced him with a former two-time Serie A winner with Juventus as a player, Igor Tudor.

The Croatian has been brought in after Verona lost all three of their opening games and, without any injuries or suspensions to worry about, he has a fairly blank canvas to work with - although the fact Mattia Zaccagni remains the club's top goalscorer despite having been sold to Lazio is probably a concern.

There has been no such concerns about a new man in charge in the capital, where Mourinho chalked up a sixth successive competitive win since taking charge at the Stadio Olimpico this summer by beating CSKA Sofia in midweek.

It speaks volumes of Mourinho that, even in a 5-1 victory, he was disappointed with his team’s performance and there is likely to be changes from that team as Roma use their full squad to compete on three fronts this term.

Possible Verona line-up

(3-4-2-1)

Montipo; Magnani, Dawidowicz, Gunter; Faraoni, Ilic, Tameze, Lazovic; Barak, Capari; Simeone

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Giovanni Simeone

The Argentina international made his Verona debut in the 1-0 defeat to Bologna last time out after joining the club on loan from Cagliari towards the end of the transfer window.

Gianluca Caprari also made his Verona bow in that fixture and both will play important roles in refiring an attack that has scored just three times in the league so far.

Simeone has 50 goals to his name in Italy’s top-flight and the 26-year-old will be hoping to add to that tally at the earliest opportunity as he settles into life with his new club.

He has scored four times in 10 previous meetings with the Giallorossi and Simeone has only found the back of the net more times against Torino (six) in his career.

MATCH STATS

Roma have lost only two of their last 30 Serie A games against Verona (W19 D9) - a 2-1 loss in October 1996 and the forfeit win that was handed to Verona in September 2020.

Verona have lost each of their first two home league matches in 2020-21 and face losing three on the spin at the start of a campaign for the first time in their Serie A history. Meanwhile, Roma have won all of their opening three league games.

To make matters worse, Verona have gone 10 league games without winning at the Bentegodi (D4, L6).

From their previous 60 Serie A seasons, the Giallorossi have only twice picked up four wins from four to start a campaign, doing so in 2013-14 and 2014-15 under Rudi Garcia, when they went on to finish second on both occasions.

Roma could win back-to-back top-flight away matches for the first time since August 2020, when they ended up winning four on the trot.

PLAYER STATS

• Gianluca Caprari made his Serie A debut as a Roma player in May 2011, against AC Milan.
  
• Roma have the highest tackles won percentage (74%) in Serie A this season; Verona are 11th with 58% in this ranking.
  
• Stephan El Shaarawy has been directly involved in seven goals (six goals, one assist) in his last eight league games against the Verona sides of Chievo and Hellas, none of which he has lost (W6 D2).
  
• Jordan Veretout scored the first of his 32 Serie A goals against Verona at the Bentegodi in September 2017. Since then only Josip Ilicic (44) has found the net more times than the Frenchman among midfielders in the Italian top-flight.
  
• No goalkeeper in Serie A has made more saves than Rui Patricio (13) so far this season.

WHAT THEY SAID

“Hellas Verona is an important club and, at the same time, a great opportunity for me. Coaching in a league like Serie A is truly the best. I hope to demonstrate the qualities I feel I have, and I will do my best to get the most out of the team, which has all the credentials to reach the goal of safety.”

- Verona coach, Tudor