After a treacherous week of international matches domestic football returns. As we get back in the thick of the season in Italy as tension and pressure continues to build in what has been a vastly exciting and exhilarating season thus far. Roma is coming off one of their most productive months with victories against AC Milan Napoli and Udinese. Roma put together a long unbeaten run that ended right before the International break. In what was a previous 2-0 loss away at Parma. A match you can’t really blame them for as Roma at the time we’re coming off a lot of consecutive matches as they were exhausted as the team had played mutually the same lineup for weeks on end. Nonetheless, that should not be a problem this weekend as the team is refreshed and ready to go. As Roma will host Brescia at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday afternoon. This is a great opportunity for the Romans to get back on the right foot and carry some momentum forward. Roma is a team that has dealt with injuries this season and the team is starting to gain more heath. They should be prepared and ready for the challenge ahead. Bracia is at the bottom of the table and is experiencing really bad form having lost four of their last five games with their last victory coming so long ago it’s hard to remember. Roma mustn’t underestimate the challenge that awaits them despite Brescia position in the table every match in this league provides its own a set of challenges. However, this is one they certainly should be able to deal with. Will we see a Roma team energized and ready to find a way to get back on the right track or will Brescia and Mario Balotelli find a way to pull off an upset. We will find all that out and more when these two teams throw down at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
A.S Roma
Roma is likely to maintain a very similar team to what we have seen over the last several weeks. Even though the team ended up wearing out and down before the break until Roma gets a little bit more Health back into the team there shouldn’t be that many adjustments made. Roma will likely line up out of their typical 4-2-3-1 formation out of the setup that Paulo Fonseca has, for the most part, used this season. In goal as always will be Pau Lopez who has shown his capabilities of being the number one after Robin Olsen failed to do such thing last season. Their backline could have some similarities. At left-back as always, more than likely will be Alex Kolarov. Besides him even though technically speaking there could be an adjustment we will likely see the center-back partnership of Chris Smalling and Federico Fazio. At right-back, I think Roma should play Alessandro florenzi but Paulo Fonseca seems to prefer Leonardo spinazzola who at the moment is a better player but none the less Florenzi deserves time in this team. With all that being said I would be surprised if the Roma captain gets the start in this area. It could be a foregone conclusion that his time at his boy Hood Club could be coming to an end. In the defensive Midfield, it’s likely to be the duo have seen in this spot since the injury of Bryan cristante. As the Italian is still recovering from his injury normally center-back Gianluca Mancini has been playing in place and has done a tremendous job. He will be alongside Jordan veretout as he has really come on over the last few weeks. In the attacking Midfield, I see only one change from Rome with the previous game. In the central position, this time should be Nicolo zaniolo even though he is shown his Effectiveness to play on the outside given the pace and speed within this team in this particular game I see him playing in the middle. On the outside will be as always Justin kluivert as the Dutch youngster continues to progress. Then on the other side, we could see the return Roma’s most explosive player Cengiz Under as he could potentially return to the starting lineup after his injury. I think it is likely that he gets the nod in that position against Brescia . If not Nicolo zaniolo will move outside and Javier Pastore will come to the middle but I think the Turk will get the start after being injured it’s important that he gets ingratiated with the team. Then upfront as the main Striker will be without any surprise edin Dzeko. Roma will also have moderately good depth on the bench with Javier Pastore, Diego Perotti and Diawara.
Brescia
Brescia has adjust their formation almost regularly. However the way they lined up against Torino in this match against Roma it may not be the best tactical approach. They lined up against Verona with for attacking midfielders if they do this they will get blown out. All Roma would have to do is use their speed on the outside to cut through it and then they will be back on their heels. The 4-3-1-2 formation makes the most sense going forward. In this game against a very explosive Roma team that plays attacking football, they have to cover their tracks defensively and putting too much pressure on the Midfield could leave them exposed. In goal should be Joronen with a team that is fighting for safety you never know but I’d be surprised if they make any drastic changes ahead of this match. The backline as always consists of Matteju at left-back the center-back partnership of Magnanl and Cistana. Then at right-back, we are likely to see Sabelli. In the Midfield in the central position will be young Prospect Sandro Tonali to his left we could see Bisoli and to his right Romulo. In at Central forward sitting just behind the strikers should Be Spalek. Then the front two are likely to be Mario Balotelli and Alfredo donnarumma. Although FlorinAyey could potentially start based on a situation but the team will likely go with their Heavy Hitters up top. The key player in this matchup is Sandro Tonali even though his hype is a little bit outrageous he controls the midfield if he leaves gaps Roma will come through and hit them in the mouth it’s his responsibility in keeping the team in shape is hugely important especially when it comes to the defensive pressure. As he sits right in front of the defense he has a huge responsibility and keeping the team intact.
Bottom line
This still is relatively early in the season and anything can happen. I wouldn’t necessarily say this is a must-win but games like this proved to be important in the long run. Roma had a horrible season last season largely because they were unable to finish the job against some of the Lesser opposition in Italy. Regardless there is no easy out in Italian football and even though Bresica is at the bottom of the league they cannot take this game lightly. The last time Roma ended up battling with the team at the bottom they ended up getting a 0-0 draw. Roma must avoid this at all cost I wouldn’t say it’s a must-win but to get into the Champions League race they need to get back in motion and start picking up points consistently. From a tactical perspective what Roma can offer on the outside can severely damage anything that Brescia does coming forward. It is important not to underestimate them they do have capable goal scorers with Mario Balotelli and alfredo donnarumma. They may not be scoring at the highest clip but they are both capable of finding the back of the net. It does seem that Roma has the right defensive mechanism and team within it to stop them from finding the back of the net. The biggest concern for Roma is finishing their chances. We do not want to see Roma orchestrate a ton & not stick any in the back of the net it seems like that has been the biggest problem quite consistently. Roma has a lot of quality in their team but it won’t matter unless they can convert some of their chances. Brescia we’ll have to make sure defensively they can keep things under control and need to orchestrate enough chances to get themselves in the game. They are capable of doing that and I’m not going to underestimate them but it just does seem like a Roma has a huge Advantage. Especially on the outside with Justin kluivert and Cengiz under not to mention Nicolo zaniolo capable of occupying space and delivering service. Roma has a lot of quality in the side but the most dangerous asset is Justin kluivert the Pacey he has with the ball at his feet is absolutely antagonizing. If he’s able to find space and get the ball into the box edin Dzeko eveDzekoly will find a way to stick it into the back of the net. this match is going to be a lot tougher then it may seem Roma could walk all over them but given what happened in the Sampdoria match have to be careful. I see Roma getting a big three points to get themselves back in winning ways. The match may seem balance at times but I believe Roma will pull away at the end to show their superiority they most certainly have.
Roma’s Projected starting XI 4-2-3-1
GK: Pau Lopez
DEF: Alex Kolarov, Chris Smalling, Federico Fazio, Alessandro Florenzi
DEF MID: Jordan Veretout, Gianluca Mancini
ATT MID: Justin Kluivert, Nicolo Zaniolo, Cengiz Under
Striker: Edin Dzeko
Manager: Paulo Fonseca
Brescia’s Projected starting XI 4-3-1-2
GK: Joronen
DEF: Magnanl, Cistana & Sabelli, Matteju
MID: Sandro Tonali, Bisoli, Romulo,Bisoli
C entre Forward: Spalek
Strikers: Donnarumma, Balotelli
Manager: Fabio Grosso
Players to Watch
Sandro Toneli & Justin Kluivert
Date: Sunday, November 23rd, 2019
Venue: Stadio Olimpico
Kickoff: 8:00 AM (USA), 2:00PM (ENG), 3:00PM (ITA)
TV Broadcast: Sky Italia, ESPN+
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