Genoa v Roma – Preview: Safe Grifoni Host Hungry Lupi

Date: 1st May 2016 at 4:32pm
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Genoa v Roma - NainggolanGenoa will host Roma at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Monday night and while they have secured their place in Serie A for next season, they will face a team eager to fulfil their European ambitions.

Currently sitting in 10th place in the league table with 43 points after 35 matches, the Rossoblu have sealed their safety for next season despite losing 2-0 to Bologna in the previous round.

With an automatic spot in next season’s Champions League up for grabs, the Giallorossi are third for now with 71 points and they defeated second place Napoli 1-0 in Week 35, cutting the gap between the two sides by a couple of points.

When the Grifone and the Lupi played each other back in Week 17, it was Roma that emerged on top with a 2-0 victory, and the last time that Genoa came away with a win in this fixture was on the final round of the 2013-14 season, when a goal from Ioannis Fetfatzidis was enough to give them a 1-0 victory.

Genoa coach Gian Piero Gasperini is expected to ditch the 3-5-2 formation used in the Bologna defeat and switch to the 3-4-3. Most of the changes will occur in the forward line with Diego Laxalt moving from left wing-back to the left-wing, Suso to return to the starting line-up and play on the right-wing, and Leonardo Pavoletti will lead the line while Tim Matavz should be benched.

Roma coach Luciano Spalletti should stick with the 4-2-3-1 formation after the Napoli victory; Edin Dzeko will probably start at centre-forward and Diego Perotti is predicted to play as an attacking midfielder.

The Rossoblu will miss Mattia Perin, who is out for the season with a knee injury, and Goran Pandev will also be unavailable due to a thigh injury. The Giallorossi’s key absentee for this game will be Miralem Pjanic with a one-match suspension.

Form Guide: Genoa (W-W-L-W-L) Roma (W-D-D-W-W)

Expected Starting XIs

Genoa: Lamanna; Izzo, Burdisso, Munoz; Ansaldi, Rincon, Dzemaili, Gabriel Silva; Suso, Pavoletti, Laxalt

Roma: Szczesny; Maicon, Manolas, Rudiger, Digne; Keita, Nainggolan; Salah, Perotti, El Shaarawy; Dzeko

 

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