Roma v. Palermo: Open Thread

Due to the unyielding temper of mother nature, I am currently without reliable or steady internet access, having only recently received power again (my hats off to you Amish Roma fans), so you’ll have to forgive my recent absence. With that in mind, and considering the far flung nature of our writing staff, CdT communication has been a bit haphazard this week, so this post will more than likely serve as our preview and usual game thread.

As I’ve been out of the mix for much of the week, I don’t have to say about the Lyon debacle, beyond the fact that a two goal deficit, much like the Coppa Italia mess, is feasible albeit unlikely.

So, in the interim, Roma are tasked with the always difficult prospect of playing football in Sicily, where neither the law nor logic reigns supreme. However, if you had to pick an opponent against whom Roma can get things back on track, 18th place Palermo and their -30 goal differential would be an ideal candidate.

Given my detachment from all things Roma over the past 96 hours or so, we’ll leave it at that. Hopefully we’ll have a separate game thread, but please accept this meager substitute in the meantime.

Roma squad for Palermo: Szczesny, Alisson, Crisanto; Emerson, Mario Rui, Fazio, Vermaelen, Peres, Juan Jesus, Rudiger; Gerson, De Rossi, Grenier, Strootman, Paredes, Nainggolan; Salah, El Shaarawy, Totti, Dzeko