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Welp, this is it. Inter Milan has officially wrapped up the Scudetto, ending Juventus’ run of nine-straight titles, and while the remainder of the top four is unsettled, with Roma stuck on 55 points—12 back of fourth-place—the Giallorossi's season is effectively over. There is no hope of a late-season top-four rally and the Europa League title is likely Manchester United's to lose after they waxed Roma 6-2 last Thursday.
If all of that sounds like a bleak backdrop for Roma's Round 34 match against Sampdoria, well, that's because it is. Unable to sustain their peaks from earlier this season, Roma is in danger of falling out of Italy's European places full stop.
But, with nothing to gain or lose from the remaining five matches, Paulo Fonseca is likely free to experiment with his lineups, giving minutes to some of the squad's youngest players while likely also auditioning for his next gig.
It's a rather ignominious ending to a once-promising season but hope springs eternal in the Eternal City, so it won't be long before we're debating the merits of Roma's next manager, their first transfer of the summer, New Balance's first shirts, and on and on.
Until then, let's try to enjoy the last days of Fonseca Football®.
Lineups
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) May 2, 2021
Here's our starting XI for tonight's game!
#ASRoma #SampRoma pic.twitter.com/oyPO0zPETU
| FORMAZIONE
— U.C. Sampdoria (@sampdoria) May 2, 2021
Ecco gli 1️⃣1️⃣ scelti da Ranieri per #SampRoma.#SerieATIM#FORZADORIA ⚪️ ⚫️⚪️ pic.twitter.com/ehYJZiCgM7