Roma vs Hellas Verona

Stadio Olimpico is the venue as top-four hopefuls Roma and relegation-threatened Hellas Verona go head-to-head in a lopsided Serie A contest.

RB Salzburg’s 88th-minute goal in a narrow 1-0 win undid Roma’s hard defensive work in midweek Europa League action, giving ‘I Giallorossi’ a mountain to climb in the return leg. Back to Serie A duties after a frustrating European journey, Jose Mourinho’s men will be looking to bounce back from a disappointing 1-1 draw at Lecce last weekend and keep hold of a coveted fourth place. Level on points with fifth-placed AC Milan, Roma cannot afford to drop points here, so a three-game winning home league streak without conceding in 2023 comes in handy. On top of their impressive home start to the new calendar year, the hosts haven’t lost any of their last 25 home meetings with Verona in Serie A (W19, D6).

On the other hand, Marco Zaffaroni’s appointment as the new chief of staff has turned Hellas Verona’s fortunes around, with ‘I Gialloblu’ going unbeaten in four consecutive league matches since a 1-0 defeat at Inter Milan in mid-January (W2, D2), including a 1-0 home triumph over fellow relegation rivals Salernitana last time out. Indeed, just six teams have bettered Verona’s tally of 12 Serie A points in 2023, highlighting their revival under Zaffaroni’s tutelage. But the visitors head into proceedings as one of only two sides in Serie A yet to win a league game away from home this season (D4, L6), netting a measly average of 0.6 goals per travel.