An unbeaten run with one European blemish
Roma host Cagliari on Tuesday as one of three unbeaten sides left in Serie A’s top group. After eight rounds they sit third on 18 points, with five wins and three draws. Inter lead on 22, and their only dropped points came in a 2-2 draw away at Roma, according to [1]. Roma have scored 19 and conceded 6 in the league.
The longer view is just as tidy. Roma have now gone 15 Serie A matches without defeat, a run that stretches back to a 5-2 loss to Inter in early April, [2] reports. The only defeat in Roma’s recent results came in Europe, a 3-4 home loss to Real Madrid in the Champions League on 14 October. They answered that with a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava six days later.
The recent league sequence reads: a 0-0 draw at Como, a 2-0 home win over Genoa, and a 3-3 draw at Napoli on 24 October. Roma have drawn three of their eight league games, so the picture is of a side that rarely loses but is not yet converting every good afternoon into three points.
Squad news: Dybala out, Svilar and Koné on the mend
The main absence is Paulo Dybala. Gasperini had suggested the forward might make the bench against Cagliari, but [3] later reported that he is not in the squad list. He is still recovering from a calf injury that has already cost him three games. Sky Sport Italia says he needs a few more training sessions. Roma hope he will be available for the Udinese match, though he has not been cleared, and they want him fit to start against Manchester United.
Elsewhere there is mixed news. Mile Svilar could return from injury on Thursday or Friday and might be available the following week, while Manu Koné is unlikely to be back before the international break, per the same [2] report.
Gasperini said he would decide on rotation after assessing the opponent. He called rotation probable but did not confirm it, so any lineup talk is provisional. One name to watch is Emanuele Lulli, the 19-year-old full-back who has become a regular in the rotation. [4] reports that he has signed a contract extension to 2031 and scored his first Serie A goal in the 2-0 win over Genoa.
What the Napoli draw showed
Roma’s last outing was a 3-3 draw at Napoli, and it said plenty about the team’s resilience. Leonardo Balerdi scored twice with his head, the second an equaliser in the 89th minute. Matías Soulé had a standout game and scored from long range, according to [5]. Scott McTominay scored twice for Napoli, and Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri was sent off after Roma’s third goal and criticised the officiating.
The result kept Roma undefeated in the league. It also showed two things Gasperini will take into Tuesday. Roma can score from several sources, with defenders and attacking midfielders both on the sheet. They also conceded three goals away from home, which is more than a team near the top would want to make a habit of.
What it means
The table tells a clear story: third place, 18 points, no league defeats and a goal difference of +13. Roma trail Inter by four points, so a slip against a side they are expected to beat would cost more than the three points alone. Milan are level with Roma on 18, so every dropped point could also cost a place in the table.
The form line points the same way. Roma have taken points in each of their last four league games, but two of those were draws, and they have drawn three of eight overall. Tuesday is the sort of fixture where an unbeaten side has to turn a draw into a win.
The site’s forecast agrees. It gives Roma a 72% chance of beating Cagliari, with an 18% draw and a 10% Cagliari win, and a predicted score of 2-0. The unknown is Gasperini’s rotation, with Dybala missing and a Champions League schedule alongside the league. If the depth players hold up, the numbers favour a routine home win and a fifth victory of the season.
Sources
- Football Italia: Inter, Lazio, Roma and Milan make Serie A history: Whose unbeaten run will last longest? football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Gasperini: ‘Unfortunate’ Allegri outburst, Dybala ‘might’ be back for Cagliari football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Official: Dybala left out of Roma squad for Cagliari clash football-italia.net ↩
- Football Italia: Lulli renews Roma contract to 2031: how much he will earn football-italia.net ↩
- The Guardian: McTominay stars in Napoli draw that leaves Allegri ‘not lucid enough’ to talk theguardian.com ↩
