Match Preview - AS Roma vs Fiorentina

On Sunday, AS Roma welcome an unpredictable Fiorentina to Stadio Olimpico for what many are calling the ‘most important match of the 15th round of Serie A’.

The Giallorossi set an unprecedented club record this season by winning their first ten fixtures. However, the lightened squad under coach Rudi Garcia have lost most of their brilliance in recent weeks.

Even though Roma remain unbeaten (after almost succumbing to Atlanta last weekend) they had to surrender leadership of Serie A to Juventus two weekends ago. They have not won a game in more than a month now, having collected four consecutive draws. Even though a last gasp Kevin Strootman equaliser against Atlanta has kept the run intact, the Romans have managed to score only four goals in their last five outings. To put things into perspective, the last time they managed to hit the back of the net more than once in the same match was in the 2-0 win against Napoli in mid-October.

The absence of Italian football’s lead assist man, Totti is clearly a major reason for the goals drying up. The club captain is leading the tables with six assists to his name in eight games compared to Atlanta’s Luca Cigarini who has 5 assists in 13 games. The 37-year-old, who has been sidelined since he suffered a hamstring injury, was reported to be back in training this week. If he finds a place in the squad come Sunday, his return will not be soon enough for his struggling side.
On the plus side, Roma boasts of the best defence in the Peninsula having conceded just four times this season. Also, their home record remains largely positive, having recorded five wins and two draws in their past seven encounters, giving their fans, who will be holding their breath for a comeback, a reason to be hopeful.
Fiorentina, on the other hand, have improved significantly after getting off to a shaky start and are now keen to get a crucial win which will help them in their pursuit of a Champions League place. In their last match, La Viola managed to win against Hellas Verona for 4-3 to move within seven points of AS Roma. This match will be important for Montella’s men, who have now joined Inter Milan in fourth place, if they are entertaining the idea of breaking into the Top Three.

Having said that, Fiorentina has not been showing off its best form in the past few games. While they have done well so far, with eight wins of fourteen matches, they have lost two of their past five games and of their last five away games they have won only two. Not bad stats, but not statistics that instil fear in the opposition. However, they are not a team that should be taken lightly, as AC Milan and Juventus found out to their expense. In fact, they remain the only team to which current table leader Juventus have lost to this season. 

Fiorentina’ s ace-up-the-sleeve is Giuseppe Rossi who added to his tally against Hellas increasing his lead in the race for the Capocannoniere. The 26-year-old has scored twelve goals in this season and is sitting clear to second placed Alessio Cerci’s eight. To add kick to the narrative sauce, latest reports suggest that his strike partner Mario Gomez will be joining the line-up against Roma after his lengthy spell out on the sidelines post a knee injury. If so, it will be interesting to see who emerges victorious in the nail-biting battle between the prolific Rossi and Roma’s defence.
In last season’s encounter, Roma triumphed over Fiorentina 4-2, in what was a riveting clash. However, Vincenzo Montella and Co are begging to be acknowledged as one of the best teams in Italy and considering the lack of form of the hosts they surely have what it takes to cause an upset.