AS Roma vs. Fiorentina 4:45 PM ET Sunday September 20, 2009
By Jason Green at Predictem.com
AS Roma had a disappointing Europa League loss during the week and they look to move up in the Serie A standings with a win over Fiorentina on Sunday night at Stadio Olimpico in Rome. Roma finally won their first league match of the season last weekend, but they are still near the bottom of the league table with only 3 points. Fiorentina has been solid this season and they have 7 points and trail 3 teams that have 9 points each.
The last time these two teams played Fiorentina hosted Roma and crushed them 4-1. Fiorentina needs to start playing some offense, as their defense has been carrying them lately. In their last 5 matches they have only scored 4 goals. They also lost in their 1st Champions League group match 1-0 to Lyon in France. All season long Fiorentina have not been able to score more than 1 goal in any match.
Roma really needs to win this game more than Fiorentina does, as if they lose or even draw they will remain at the bottom of the league table. They also have a tough next few games so this home match is important. Fiorentina could really help themselves with a win in this away match, as it will keep them near the top of the Italy Serie A league table.
Roma is the favorite in this match as they are posted at 1.95 and Fiorentina is the away underdog posted at 4.00 with a draw at 3.20.
AS Roma Recent Form:
9/17/2009 Basel 2 AS Roma 0 (Europa League)
9/13/2009 Siena 1 AS Roma 2 (Serie A)
8/30/2009 AS Roma 1 Juventus 3 (Serie A)
8/27/2009 AS Roma 7 Kosice 1 (Europa League)
8/27/2009 Genoa 3 AS Roma 2 (Serie A)
Fiorentina Recent Form:
9/16/2009 Lyon 1 Fiorentina 0 (Champions League)
9/13/2009 Fiorentina 1 Cagliari 0 (Serie A)
8/30/2009 Fiorentina 1 Palermo 0 (Serie A)
8/22/2009 Fiorentina 1 Sporting CP 1 (Champions League)
8/8/2009 Bologna 1 Fiorentina 1 (Serie A)
AS Roma is finally back to full health, as both Doni and Cicinho returned to practice recently and are match fit. After another bad outing it looks as if striker Julio Baptista may be benched, which will mean Mirko Vucinic will play up front with Francesco Totti.
Adrian Mutu will be ready to play in this match for Fiorentina even though he was injured in the match against Lyon. Stevan Jovetic and Juan Manuel Vargas may be in the starting 11 playing behind Mutu up front, which may give Fiorentina a better attack. Alberto Gilardino. Jose Castillo and Lorenzo De Silvestri are all out for this match against Roma due to injuries.
If Roma is going to win this match the home squad will need a great offensive effort from Francesco Totti. He seems to be the only player for Roma that has not been a major disappointment this season and if he is held scoreless in this match it will be difficult for Roma to claim 3 points.
Mutu has to be fully healthy in this match, as Fiorentina will need his offense.
Stevan Jovetic was solid off the bench in the match against Lyon and Fiorentina is hoping that he can help the squad break out of their offensive slump.
The defense of Fiorentina has been solid since they began the season and it will be tough for Roma to find the back of the net.
Fiorentina knows that Totti is the key for Roma and they will be marking him all match. This means that the other strikers for the home side will have to step up and take advantage of the space they get.
Roma will be pressing in this match to score since the draw really does not help them out, so they will be pushing their midfield and even their defenders forward. Because of this they have to be wary of a counter attack by Fiorentina.
Jason’s Pick: Roma has started the season horribly, but they are not as bad as their results would indicate. I see a low scoring affair in this match, but for Roma to punch one in and win by a score of 1-0.
