Roma continue their pursuit of a top-four finish on Sunday, as they take the short trip to Stadio Benito Stirpe, where free-falling Frosinone lie in wait.

After a commendable draw at De Kuip in midweek, the Giallorossi now tackle their neighbours, who have recently drifted down the Serie A standings.

Match preview

In scoring a precious equaliser midway through the first half of Roma's Europa League clash with Feyenoord, Romelu Lukaku not only moved joint-third in the competition's all-time scoring list, with 26 goals to his name, but also made his team favourites to reach the last 16.

A 1-1 draw against the Dutch champions in Rotterdam leaves the Giallorossi needing a home win next week - that would see them progress through the knockout-round playoffs by defeating Feyenoord for the third season running.

Daniele De Rossi's side now return to domestic duty, having recently suffered their first loss since the club legend returned to Rome as head coach: they twice led against league leaders Inter Milan last weekend but ultimately succumbed to a 4-2 defeat at Stadio Olimpico.

Roma are rarely beaten on home turf, but in addition to winning on just one of their last nine European road trips, they have also lost more than half of their away matches in Serie A thus far.

With former boss Jose Mourinho now sniping from the sidelines, though, De Rossi's new approach has helped Lukaku and co score at least twice in each of his first four league games in charge, including a 2-1 victory over rock-bottom Salernitana that ended a run of three straight away defeats.

The Giallorossi now seek back-to-back Serie A wins on their travels for the first time since October 2022, and having won all five of their previous top-flight meetings with Frosinone, they certainly have history on their side.

Including October's reverse fixture - when Lukaku and Lorenzo Pellegrini were on the scoresheet in Rome - Frosinone actually trail their regional rivals 14-3 on aggregate across those five encounters.

Ex-Roma player and coach Eusebio Di Francesco will again try to plot his former club's downfall on Sunday evening, but the odds are stacked against him due to the Canarini's recent run of results.

No team has won fewer points than Frosinone since the start of December, with a meagre tally of five, and last season's Serie B champions have also suffered no fewer than eight losses during that time.

However, of all teams promoted to one of Europe's top five leagues last year, only La Liga upstarts Las Palmas have claimed more points at home than Di Francesco's youthful side, which features several promising players borrowed from clubs higher up the Calcio food chain.

Despite being one of three teams without an away victory in Serie A this season, following last week's 5-1 thumping at Fiorentina, they have won half of their league fixtures at Stadio Stirpe so far. That has been enough to keep them clear of the drop zone for now.

Team News

After making some changes to his starting XI on Thursday evening, Daniele De Rossi may bring players such as Bryan Cristante, Stephan El Shaarawy and Rui Patricio back into the Roma side this weekend.

Tammy Abraham is still on the long road to recovery from an ACL injury, but De Rossi should have an otherwise fit squad after Cristante overcame a back problem that saw him withdrawn against Inter to appear as a substitute at De Kuip.

Having started his career in the capital with six goals in nine Serie A matches, Romelu Lukaku has scored only three in his last 12. Following the Belgian striker's latest Europa League exploits, he will now aim to improve that domestic ratio with the support of El Shaarawy; Paulo Dybala may be rested, offering a first start to Tommaso Baldanzi.

By contrast with his opposite number, Eusebio Di Francesco has an almost full infirmary at the moment, with Frosinone's defensive department notably understaffed: Riccardo Marchizza, Anthony Oyono, Mateus Lusuardi and Kevin Bonifazi are all sidelined, while Nadir Zortea's presence is doubtful and Simone Romagnoli must serve a suspension.

Star man Matias Soule should be available, though, and the Juventus loanee has already scored 10 goals in Serie A this season - four from the penalty spot.

Frosinone possible starting lineup:
Turati; Lirola, Monterisi, Okoli, Valeri; Mazzitelli, Barrenechea, Harroui; Soule, Cheddira, Seck

Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Karsdorp, Mancini, Llorente, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Baldanzi, El Shaarawy; Lukaku

We say: Frosinone 1-2 Roma

Roma may not have things all their own way - Frosinone are tough to beat on home turf and have scored half of their Serie A goals via set-pieces - but the visitors should still have the guile to prevail at Stadio Stirpe. A fresh approach under new management has certainly raised hopes of improving the Giallorossi's dismal away record.


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