TURIN - AS Roma face a tricky away fixture against Torino aiming to keep pace at the top of Serie A. Daniele De Rossi's side arrives at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino unbeaten in their last five matches, sitting second in the table with 9 points from three wins out of three.
The Giallorossi drew 1-1 away to Fenerbahçe last time out, with Bryan Cristante's goal answering Archie Brown's strike. Before that draw, the positive run included a home win over Atalanta and two comprehensive 4-0 victories against Lecce and Fiorentina. Manager De Rossi will be without Manu Koné, sidelined with a knee injury and not expected back before 26 September.
The defensive block
The three-man defence of Evan Ndicka, Gianluca Mancini and Mario Hermoso has conceded just one goal in the opening three league games, showing solidity. In front of them, goalkeeper Mile Svilar has confirmed his quality. The reshuffle in midfield, necessitated by Koné's absence, could see increased responsibility for Cristante and the introduction of another midfielder.
The in-form attack
Up front, the pairing of Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé, architects of the comeback against Atalanta, remains the main weapon. They are joined by the ever-dangerous Dutch forward Donyell Malen. Torino, thirteenth in the standings, have won only one of their last five league matches, but did manage a home draw against Juventus at the end of May. The last head-to-head meeting, in January, ended 0-2 in Roma's favour.
The match is scheduled for Saturday 14 September at 18:30. A win would allow AS Roma to stay within touching distance of leaders Lazio, whom they trail by just one point. All of the team's upcoming fixtures can be checked on the fixtures page, while the full list of players available to De Rossi is in the squad section.
