Roma will be looking to keep their top-four hopes alive when they host champions Juventus in Serie A on Sunday night.
Juve have already secured their eighth straight league title, and therefore have little to play for this weekend, but the same cannot be said for Roma, who are in desperate need of a win as they battle for a top-four spot.
Roma
© ReutersSixteen wins, 11 draws and eight defeats - that is how Roma have performed in Serie A this season. A total of 59 points has left them in sixth position in the table, three points off fourth-placed Atalanta heading into Week 36. Atalanta beat Genoa in Saturday's early kickoff, though, meaning that Inter Milan have dropped to fourth, four points ahead of Roma before another ball is kicked.
The Rome giants have not actually finished lower than third in Italy's top flight since the 2012-13 campaign - posting second on three occasions and third twice in the last five seasons. There is a real chance that the club could finish outside of the Champions League spots this term, but a win over Juve on Sunday night would give them huge confidence.
Claudio Ranieri has already confirmed that he will be leaving as head coach this summer. The 67-year-old returned to the Stadio Olimpico in March after Eusebio Di Francesco was dismissed with the club losing to Porto in the last-16 stage of the Champions League.
Ranieri will depart when the Serie A season concludes, though, and it remains to be seen who is chosen to lead the Yellow and Reds moving forward.
Roma might currently sit outside of the Champions League positions, but they are unbeaten in the league since a 4-1 home loss to Napoli at the end of March. Since then, they have won three of their six in Serie A, but were held at Genoa last weekend.
A number of teams are in the mix for third and fourth at this stage. Napoli are guaranteed to finish second behind the champions Juve, but the battle for the spots behind them will seemingly go to the final weekend.
It is a good time to face the Old Lady with another league title already in the bag, and the recent meetings between the two teams suggest that it will be a close affair on Sunday night.
Indeed, Juve's last two wins over Roma have been by the single goal, while the two teams played out a goalless draw in the corresponding Serie A clash during the 2018-19 campaign.
It has been a tough season for Roma, but snatching a top-four spot would lead the team nicely into an important summer transfer window.
Recent form: DWWDWD
Juventus
© ReutersJuve have been, by some distance, the best side in Serie A this team. The table rarely paints a false picture, and the fact that the Old Lady have 89 points from their 35 league games is an indication of their dominance once again.
As it stands, Massimiliano Allegri's side sit 16 points clear of second-placed Napoli, but results in recent weeks have not exactly been terrific. Indeed, in all competitions, Juve have been victorious in just one of their last six.
There is no question that the club will still be thinking about their elimination to Ajax in the quarter-finals of the Champions League. Many considered the Old Lady to be the favourites for this season's European title, but a brilliant Ajax side dumped the Italian champions out of the competition.
Allegri's side did beat Fiorentina on their return to action after losing to Ajax, but the champions have since drawn with Inter and Torino in the league.
Juve might not have too much to play for in the final weeks of the season, but will have a huge say on the top-four race as they follow Sunday's clash against Roma with a home game against Atalanta next weekend.
Cristiano Ronaldo has certainly had a successful first season in Italy - finding the back of the net on 28 occasions in 41 matches in all competitions, in addition to contributing 13 assists.
The attacker was signed with the view to winning the Champions League, though, and it remains to be seen whether he can inspire the Turin giants to European success before moving on.
It is shaping up to be a big summer window for Juve with big-name players expected to arrive and indeed depart. Whether the team can challenge for the Champions League next season remains to be seen, but they will once again be the side to beat when it comes to the Serie A crown.
Juve's form in recent weeks has not exactly been terrific, but they have the best away record in Serie A this season by some distance, and will be looking to put another three points on the board this weekend.
Recent form: WWLWDD
Recent form (all competitions): DLLWDD
Team News
© ReutersDiego Perotti is still struggling with a hamstring problem, and it might well be that Ranieri waits until the last moment before making a decision on the attacker.
Elsewhere, Davide Santon and Daniele De Rossi are available once again following injury, but the same side that started the draw against Genoa last weekend could take to the field.
Edin Dzeko will once again lead the line with support from Stephan El Shaarawy, meaning that Justin Kluivert and Patrik Schick might have to accept spots on the bench.
As for Juve, Allegri has far from a fully-fit squad to choose from this weekend, with as many as eight first-team players potentially unavailable for the clash with Roma.
Mattia Perin, Mario Mandzukic and Sami Khedira will definitely miss out once again, while there are concerns surrounding the fitness of five other players.
Alex Sandro missed the clash with Torino due to a thigh problem and is a doubt, while the same can be said for Paulo Dybala and Emre Can, who both have muscular problems.
Douglas Costa's calf issue could also rule him out, although it is thought that Rodrigo Bentancur could overcome a fatigue issue to make the squad.
Moise Kean was given the nod alongside Ronaldo against Torino last time out, and that could again be the case here with Federico Bernardeschi and Juan Cuadrado operating in the wide positions.
Roma possible starting lineup:
Mirante; Florenzi, Manolas, Fazio, Kolarov; Cristante, N'Zonzi, Zaniolo, Pellegrini, El Shaaraway; Dzeko
Juventus possible starting lineup:
Szczesny; Cancelo, Bonucci, Chiellini, De Sciglio; Cuadrado, Pjanic, Matuidi, Bernardeschi; Kean, Ronaldo
Head To Head
Mandzukic scored the only goal of the match as Juve won 1-0 in the reverse match earlier this season.
The pair played out a goalless draw in the corresponding fixture last term, however, and Roma ran out 3-1 winners when they welcomed the Old Lady in Serie A back in May 2017.
In total, the two teams have locked horns on 171 occasions in the league. Juve lead the head-to-head 82 to Roma's 39, with the remaining 50 fixtures finishing level.
We say: Roma 1-1 Juventus
We are finding it difficult to separate the two teams this weekend. Roma will fancy their chances of triumphing in front of their own fans, but Juve have lost just twice in the league this term.
