Lecce v Roma: Probable Formations

As we mentioned earlier in the week, Roma are in the midst of three straight weeks with two matches. On top of that, the Giallorossi are coming off of their first loss in the Fonseca era, a match in which few players put in a good performance. So, the logical thing seems to be to turn over the line-up a bit with a trip to newly-promoted Lecce on Sunday. However, the early projections from both Corriere dello Sport and Gazzetta dello Sport don’t seem to think we’ll see many changes for the Giallorossi this weekend.

Of course, rotation at one position in particular is limited by injury. With Leonardo Spinazzola exciting Wednesday’s match with a muscular injury, the Giallorossi will again be without two fullbacks; him and Davide Zappacosta. Joining them on sidelines will be Cengiz Ünder, Diego Perotti, and Mert Cetin.

Taking into account of the injuries, Aleksandar Kolarov will start yet again at left back, while Alessandro Florenzi will return to the back line on the right. They will likely flank Chris Smalling and Federico Fazio. However, there is the possibility that Gianluca Mancini could start in one of the center back spots, as he returns from his one match ban. Meanwhile, Pau Lopez will start in goal.

Despite a lackluster showing from the midfield duo, it looks like it will remain unchanged on Sunday. Both Bryan Cristante and Jordan Veretout are expected to be given another go. A somewhat interesting decision with Amadou Diawara seeing limited time thus far, especially when taking into account how many minutes Cristante has played in the young season.

With Nikola Kalinic still looking a step off the pace since his arrival, Edin Dzeko will again lead the line. Behind him Lorenzo Pellegrini will again pull the strings in attack at the trequartista position. Rounding out the attack will be Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Nicoló Zaniolo on the wings. However, there is a possibility that Justin Kluivert starts on the right instead of Zaniolo.

Gazzetta dello Sport