Simply put, this game, is make-or-break for Roma and their Scudetto aspirations. The Giallorossi, who at one point were hot on the heels of reigning champions Juventus, have slipped to a disappointing nine points behind. This is the result of a poor start of 2015 for Rudi Garcia's men, coupled with the fact that Massimiliano Allegri's troops, after a series of small hiccups, picked up right where they left off. As things look right now, the Serie A title looks set to remain in Turin for yet another season.
A win for Roma would cut the gap to six points and would be only the second time Juventus has lost all season. Despite the quality of the hosts, even the most ardent Lupi fan will have to grudgingly admit that la Vecchia Signora are simply head and shoulders ahead of all the other sides in Italy. Not only do they boast the best attack, with 51 goals, but also the meanest defense, with a measly 13 conceded.
After yet another draw with Empoli in their recent fixture, Roma supporters are already showing signs of frustration with the team and their coach--the very same man who guided them to a record-setting 85 points last season. Their draw before with bottom-placed Parma was their fifth straight stalemate at home dating back to a 0-0 result against AC Milan in the last game before the Christmas break.
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In fact, the last time that the hosts won at home was a 4-2 victory over Inter in November 2014. They have never drawn six in a row at the Stadio Olimpico and obviously will need to avoid that if they want to have any chance at catching Juventus at the top of the table.
Meanwhile, Juventus, despite their dominance have had to work pretty hard over the course of last week. First they took on Atalanta in which they needed Andrea Pirlo to pull out one of his trademark beauties to earn them a win after the stubborn la Dea were keen to try to reserve at least a draw. Then there was German outfit Borussia Dortmund in the Champions League, in which they preserved their unbeaten run at home but still will have some work to do after conceding a crucial away goal after a defensive slip by Giorgio Chiellini.
Unfortunately, that win came at a price as veteran Pirlo suffered an injury and will be out for the next few weeks. Paul Pogba is another that may or may not feature, due to a muscular problem, which is of serious concern due to French international's great performances so far this season. Arturo Vidal is another who is suffering from a back injury who was included in the traveling party, but will have to be evaluated as to whether Allegri would want to risk him for this game.
As things stand, Juventus, since that shock loss to Genoa back in October 2014, are on a 15 match unbeaten run, with five draws and 10 wins. Still, in 2015, they have drawn their last two matches on the road, including that surprise 2-2 result with relegation candidates Cesena but this has not had much impact on their comfortable positiion at the helm of this season's league standings and many should not be surprised if they will be content with another draw with their Coppa Italia match against Fiorentina just three days away.
The last game, as Serie A followers are well aware was quite controversial as Roma felt they were undone by the referee's decisions, which, in their eyes, appeared to favour Juventus. Three spot kicks were given--in just the first half--including one very late in the first half for a foul on Pogba that had fans debating whether he was or was not actually within the box. Then there were the two red cards handed out to Alvaro Morata and Kostas Manolas late in the second period in which ended up as a 3-2 result.
Daniele De Rossi recently conceded that his side were "asleep for a month"--referring to their poor start to 2015--and has charged his teammates to beat Juentus, something that, given that they have lost five out of their last six Serie A meetings with their opponents is something easier said than done. Historically, the Bianconeri have beaten the Giallorossi 77 out of the 161 times they have met throughout the two sides' history.
Will tonight mark number 78 for Juventus and effectively shut the door on this season's title race? Or will Roma give themselves a life-line and exact revenge on their opponents?
This is surely a game calcio fans will certainly not want to miss!
Roma vs Juventus team sheets
Roma's lineup: De Sanctis; Torosidis, Manolas, Yanga-M'Biwa, Holebas; Pjanic, De Rossi, Kéita; Gervinho, Totti, Ljajic.
Juve's lineup: Buffon; Caceres, Bonucci, Chiellini; Lichtsteiner, Vidal, Marchisio, Pereyra, Evra; Tevez, Morata.
Roma's subs: Skorupski, Curci, Astori, Spolli, Cole, Nainggolan, Paredes, Uçan, Florenzi, Iturbe, Sanabria, Verde.
Juve's subs: Storari, Rubinho, Barzagli, Ogbonna, De Ceglie, Padoin, Pogba, Pepe, Coman, Llorente, Matri.
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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