After being held to a draw in their last Serie A match before the Christmas break, Giallorossi fans had hoped that Rudi Garcia's men would kick off 2015 on a better note.
However things so far have not gone as planned. Three games have only yielded one solitary victory and as a result of two consecutive draws, Roma suddenly find themselves five points behind league leaders Juventus. Whilst it is still early in the season, this is not encouraging for a side that would like to knock the reigning Scudetto champions off their comfortable perch.
Well, any thoughts of that will have to wait as the Lupi now turn their focus to the Coppa Italia, a tournament that they have enjoyed quite a bit of success in. In fact should they win it this season, they would become the first side to reach 10 titles and although by no means is that as prestigious as the much-coveted Scudetto, it would still be one trophy that Juventus would not be able to claim.
The side they will face, Empoli, is a team that is literally fighting tooth and nail to remain in Italy's top football flight. Barely out of the dreaded relegation zone, expect them to hunker down and employ the same tactics that have seen them draw all but one of their last five games. Of course, being that one side must actually win to progress, they will have to come out of their compact shell somewhat and this is something Roma could capitalize on.
Given Garcia's tinkering tendencies as of late with his tactics and personnel it would be interesting whom he chooses to field. Numerous reports have indicated that talismanic captain Francesco Totti may not feature but both Daniele De Rossi and Radja Nainggolan, who did not play this weekend due to suspension could be called into action.
Will Roma get back to winning ways by dispatching a side that has rarely caused them much trouble? Or will Empoli pull off a smash and grab win in the nation's capital?
Simply tune into find out.
Roma vs Empoli team sheets
Roma's Starting XI:Skorupski; Maicon, Mapou, Astori, Cole; Pjanic, De Rossi, Nainggolan; Iturbe, Destro, Totti.
Empoli's Starting XI: Bassi,Rui, Bianchetti, Tonelli, Laurini, Signorelli, Valdifiori, Laxalt, Zielinski, Maccarone, Pucciarelli.
Roma's Subs: De Sanctis, Lobont, Cholevas, Manolas, Calabresi, Somma, Paredes, Uçan, Florenzi, Verde, Ljajic, Borriello.
Empoli's Subs: Sepe, Pugliese,Rugani, Perticone, Hysaj, Croce, Verdi.
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