SPEZIA

League position: 14th
Head coach: Thiago Motta
Serie A top-scorer: Daniele Verde (5)

RECENT FORM

SPEZIA: W W D L L
ROMA: W D L D D

Motta’s hosts won three on the spin from Matchdays 21-23 and made it four unbeaten with a 2-2 draw at basement club Salernitana before successive defeats to Fiorentina and Bologna last time out halted their resurgence.

Simone Bastoni’s return from injury as a second-half substitute against Bologna was a welcome boost and the 25-year-old should be back in the starting XI for the visit of Roma.

Meanwhile, Jose Mourinho’s side are four games without a win - but the way his youngsters salvaged a 2-2 draw against Verona last week will have brought the Portuguese coach some solace.

Most frustrating will be the fact that the Giallorossi haven’t been able to capitalise on slip-ups from the teams directly above them; but that means they are still just three points off fifth and only six back from fourth, so there’s still plenty to play for.

Possible Spezia line-up

(4-2-3-1)

Provedel; Ferrer, Erlic, Nikolaou, Reca; Kiwior, Bastoni; Verde, Maggiore, Gyasi; Manaj

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Daniele Verde

Goals have come at a premium for Spezia so far this season and only the league’s bottom four have scored fewer goals across the entire division.

It’s little wonder then, that they sit just four points clear of the drop going into Week 27 of the campaign.

Verde, though, has provided a few sparks from the right of their attack and is the side’s leading goalscorer with five Serie A efforts to his name.

The one-time Roma man was responsible for three of Spezia’s four goals (two goals, one assist) during their recent back-to-back-to-back wins over Genoa, AC Milan and Sampdoria and the home side will again look to the 25-year-old for inspiration on Sunday.

MATCH STATS

Roma are unbeaten in three against Spezia in Serie A; including two victories at the Olimpico and one draw at the Stadio Alberto Picco. Across these three most recent fixtures, there have been a combined total of 13 goals at an average of 4.31 per game.

Despite their woes in front of goal this term, La Spezia boast the longest current streak for scoring in consecutive top-flight league games (nine), which is a top-flight club record for them.

The Giallorossi’s last three goals have all come from a corner and no team in the league this season has scored more from corners than Roma (10).

Alongside Napoli, Roma and Spezia are two of the three teams that have not yet conceded a goal in injury-time this term. Only the Neapolitans have conceded fewer goals (one) than the Giallorossi (three) in the last 15 minutes of games.

PLAYER STATS

• Spezia coach Motta played under Mourinho at Inter Milan, winning the treble together in 2010.
  
• Verde played seven times in the top-flight for the Giallarossi in 2014-15.
  
• Roma have had more scorers born after 2001 than any other team in the league so far in 2021-22: Edoardo Bove, Felix Afena-Gyan and Cristian Volpato.
  
• Eight of Tammy Abraham's 11 Serie A goals this season have been scored away from the capital. He’s also scored in each of his last four away games in the competition and no player has bagged in five successive away games for the Giallorossi since the three points for a win rule was introduced for the 1994-95 campaign.

WHAT THEY SAID

"The two defeats have certainly not undermined the team's enthusiasm. We have already been through some difficult moments, the guys are playing in the right way, with the team spirit that distinguishes us; now we think immediately to the next one because we have the opportunity to play at home against a great team and to be able to build on all the positive things seen so far."

- Motta after Spezia's defeat to Bologna last weekend