Roma will be bidding to secure a Europa League finish in Serie A when they finish their 2021-22 domestic campaign away to Torino on Friday night.
Jose Mourinho's side are currently sixth in the table, one point clear of seventh-placed Fiorentina, while Torino occupy 10th position, having collected 50 points from their 37 league matches this term.
Match preview
© Reuters
Torino have finished 16th and 17th in their last two Serie A campaigns, so there has been a definite improvement this season, with the club currently sitting 10th in the table, two points behind ninth-placed Verona ahead of their final match of the campaign against Roma.
The Bull have won 13, drawn 11 and lost 13 of their 37 league games this term to collect 50 points, and they cannot finish lower than 11th regardless of what happens in the final set of Serie A fixtures.
Torino will enter this contest off the back of a 1-0 victory over Hellas Verona on May 14, with Josip Brekalo scoring the only goal of the match in the 19th minute, and a strong run of form has seen the Turin outfit lose just one of their last eight Serie A matches.
Ivan Juric's side have won eight, drawn five and lost five of their 18 home league fixtures this season to collect 29 points, and they will be coming up against a Roma outfit that have been inconsistent on their travels, winning seven, drawing three and losing eight of their 18 away league games.
Torino recorded a 3-1 win over Roma when the pair locked horns in the corresponding match last term, but they lost 1-0 in Rome earlier this season.
© Reuters
Roma, meanwhile, are currently sixth in the table, boasting 17 wins, nine draws and 11 defeats from their 37 matches to collect 60 points, which has left them one point clear of seventh-placed Fiorentina.
A win on Friday would be enough to finish in the top six and secure a spot in next season's Europa League, while they could still finish above Lazio if the White and Sky Blues lose to Verona on Saturday, as Mourinho's side have the better head-to-head record over their rivals.
Roma would have another chance to earn a spot in next season's Europa League if they missed out via Serie A, though, with the club set to take on Feyenoord in the Europa Conference League final on May 25.
Mourinho's team, who beat Leicester City in the semi-finals of the European competition earlier this month, have not actually been victorious in Serie A since April 10, drawing three and losing two of their last five games in Italy's top flight.
On Saturday, the Yellow and Reds played out a 1-1 draw with Venezia, with Eldor Shomurodov coming off the bench to score a leveller for the home side, who had fallen behind inside the first minute.
- D
- W
- D
- W
- L
- W
- W
- D
- L
- D
- L
- D
- L
- D
- D
- W
- L
- D
Team News
© Reuters
Torino will again be missing a number of players through injury on Friday, with Simone Edera, Antonio Sanabria, Simone Zaza, Mohamed Fares, Alessandro Buongiorno and Wilfried Singo on the sidelines.
The home side have no fresh injury concerns from their win over Verona last time out, though, and it would not be a surprise to see the same XI take to the field for the first whistle.
Dennis Praet and Brekalo should again support Andrea Belotti at centre-forward, with the latter set to leave the club on a free transfer at the end of June.
As for Roma, Nicolo Zaniolo and Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be absent on Friday due to muscular and hamstring injuries respectively.
The starting XI is expected to be similar to the one that took to the field against Venezia, but there could be a change on the right, with Rick Karsdorp potentially replacing Ainsley Maitland-Niles, while Shomurodov could come in for Jordan Veretout.
Tammy Abraham has enjoyed an impressive season in Rome, scoring 24 goals and registering five assists in 50 appearances, and the England international will again lead the line for the Serie A club.
Torino possible starting lineup:
Berisha; Izzo, Zima, Rodriguez; Aina, Lukic, Ricci, Vojvoda; Praet, Belotti, Brekalo
Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Ibanez, Smalling, Kumbulla; Karsdorp, Cristante, Perez, Spinazzola; Shomurodov; Pellegrini, Abraham
We say: Torino 1-1 Roma
Roma's recent Serie A form has been disappointing, and they will be coming up against a Torino outfit that will be full of confidence due to a strong set of results over the last few weeks. A draw would leave Roma vulnerable in the top six, but we are struggling to separate the two sides here.
