Five games into the Serie A season and it is fair to say that things are not going according to plan for AS Roma. The club from the capital is languishing in the bottom half of the table with a solitary league win and on Saturday hosts rival Lazio in what has become a crunch game for boss Eusebio di Francesco.
- Roma has not won at home so far this season.
- Roma has scored in all of its league matches this season.
- Lazio has won its last three league games, conceding just one goal.
Roma and their boss on the ropes
Roma boss di Francesco knows he could be just one more defeat from the sack following a shambolic and frankly humiliating defeat to Bologna this past weekend. The start to the new season has been nothing short of disastrous, with the club – competing in the UEFA Champions League lest we forget – managing just one win and collecting five points from its Sportsbook five games.
Their display against Bologna was one that lacked courage and conviction, and screamed of a group of players bereft of confidence. To put it lightly, this is hardly the ideal time to be going toe to toe with your greatest rivals.
Nevertheless, it is Roma that comes into the game as the slight favorite to take the three points, which could be the boost that their domestic campaign needs. Roma is at +137 to take the points, with Lazio, technically the visitors in this clash, at +190 to do the same. A draw would look to be the least likely result, and is priced accordingly at +240.
Roma defensive problems a worry
Although Roma drew a blank against Bologna, their biggest problems have been at the back so far this season. They have conceded nine goals at a rate of 1.8 goals per game and Lazio, who put four past Genoa last time out, will surely fancy their chances of breaching that faulty back line at least once.
To put Roma’s plight into context, against Bologna they conceded twice against a side that had not found the back of the net in four outings. Lazio, with Ciro Immobile at the spearhead of its attack, poses a far greater threat, and this could quite feasibly turn into a rout.
Therefore, we fancy goals in this one, and you can back OVER 2.5 goals in the game at -163, while both teams to score comes in at -200. And while it is never easy trying to predict the exact scoreline of any given game, we fancy Lazio to win this one 2-1, a scoreline which comes in at the competitive price of +1000.
Goals and a Lazio win would look to be the order of the day this weekend, and if you do not want to back a scoreline, you can go for more general outcomes. A Lazio win and OVER 2.5 goals in the match together is an outcome priced at +300.
Roma’s alarming form needs to stop somewhere
It is not only Roma’s domestic form which has suffered. In their first Champions League match of the group stage, they were thrashed 3-0 by Real Madrid, and what started out as a dip is quickly turning into a dangerous and worrying slide.
Last season, Roma reached the semifinals of the Champions League, famously beating Barcelona 3-0 in Rome, but since then have lost a plethora of talent including goalkeeper Alisson and key midfielders Kevin Strootman and Radja Nainggolan.
Di Francesco has failed to find a formation that suits the players he has and Lazio will surely look to take advantage of that uncertainty. Against Genoa, Lazio was a goal up within seven minutes, and you can back them to be ahead inside 10 minutes here at the price of +800. Meanwhile, you can back OVER 0.5 goals in that time frame at +300.
Di Francesco could well be on borrowed time coming into this match, and time is not on his side. He desperately needs a win, but we are expecting Roma’s old rivals to add to their woes rather than ease them.
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