SALERNITANA

League position: 20th
Head coach: Davide Nicola
UECL top-scorer: Federico Bonazzoli (7)

RECENT FORM

ROMA: D D W W L
SALERNITANA: D L D L L

Defeat in Norway on Thursday was Roma’s first loss since the start of February, but their Serie A unbeaten run still dates back to the middle of January.

That has helped position the Giallorossi in fifth-place going into the weekend and victory could take them to within just two points of Juventus in fourth.

As for Salernitana, they are rooted to the bottom of the Serie A table and nine points adrift of safety but have two games in hand on Genoa in the hallowed safety of 17th-place.

Survival certainly isn't out of their grasp, but they need to chalk up a first win under Nicola ASAP if they are to remain in the top flight and will be without former Roma man Federico Fazio and top scorer Federico Bonazzoli who are both suspended.

Possible Salernitana line-up

(3-4-2-1)

Belec; Radovanovic, Gagliolo, Gyomber; Zortea, Ederson, Coulibaly Ranieri; Ribery, Verdi; Djuric

LAST MEETING

DANGER MAN
Milan Djuric

With top scorer Bonazzoli sidelined, even more responsibility will fall on the shoulders of Salernitana skipper Djuric.

The 31-year-old has scored just four times in the league this season but he has made important contributions in recent weeks and appears to have relished taking on the armband under Nicola.

His two most recent goals and assists - across the last seven matchdays - helped his team pick up draws against Genoa, AC Milan and Sassuolo.

Djuric will need to be at his best again if Salernitana are to take anything away from the Stadio Olimpico.

MATCH STATS

None of the five previous meetings between these two in Serie A have ended in draws, with Roma claiming four wins and Salernitana chalking up one.

Stretching the record out to all competitions, the Giallorossi have won seven out of nine matches and there has been that one sole Salernita victory as well as one draw.

Roma have avoided defeat in each of their last 13 Serie A games against sides starting the matchday bottom of the table (W10, D3). They have won each of their last five and scored 20 times in the process at an average of four per game.

Meanwhile, Roma have lost only one of their last 40 Serie A games against newly promoted opponents (W34, D5, L1).

After back-to-back clean victories over Lazio and Sampdoria, the men from the capital could collect three clean sheets in a row for the first time since August 2018. Salernitana, on the other hand, have conceded 66 goals in 29 league games this season and have kept just one clean sheet this season.

PLAYER STATS

• In four Serie A matches against newly promoted sides, Tammy Abraham has scored four times.
  
• Abraham scored his very first goal in Italy’s top-flight against Salernitana in the 4-0 win in August’s reverse fixture.
  
• After scoring in the 1-0 victory over Sampdoria last time out, Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in search of back-to-back league goals for the first time since May 2021, when he scored four goals in four successive Serie A games.
  
• Franck Ribery has failed to score in any of his last 26 top-flight outings.

WHAT THEY SAID

"The fact that I have not yet won under my management does not represent a burden, but certainly a disappointment because we could have won some of them and we would also have deserved it."

- Salernitana coach Nicola after the 1-0 loss to Torino on Matchday 31