Two wins and nine goals in the space of a week have helped Roma get up and running for the 2023-24 campaign, and the capital club now visit Torino in Sunday's late kickoff.

After smashing Empoli to post their first Serie A success of the season, Jose Mourinho's men went on to taste victory in Europe on Thursday; meanwhile, Toro are also resurgent following back-to-back wins.

Match preview

Beaten Europa League finalists last season, Roma made their return to the competition in midweek, as they travelled to Transnistria for their opening Group G fixture versus Sheriff Tiraspol.

The visitors ultimately came out on top against the Moldovan champions, as Romelu Lukaku extended his own impressive record by scoring in a 12th consecutive Europa League appearance en route to Roma's 2-1 win.

There are signs that a slow start to the season may be behind the Giallorossi, who had picked up just one point from their first three league matches before Lukaku scored on his first start for the club during last week's 7-0 thumping of Empoli.

Paulo Dybala also bagged a brace and then came close to completing his hat-trick as Jose Mourinho's side dismantled their Tuscan opponents at Stadio Olimpico, where they have picked up the majority of their points in recent times.

By contrast, Roma have won only one of their last 10 away games in Serie A, losing on no fewer than six occasions - though that sole victory came against this weekend's hosts back in April.

Dybala's goal split the sides that day, meaning the capital club have won 10 of their last 13 league matches against Torino, scoring more than twice as many goals in the process - 25 to the Granata's tally of 12.

Toro have also lost five of their last six home matches against Rome in Serie A - as many defeats as in the previous 19 - and have developed something of an inferiority complex when the two teams go head-to-head.

However, they head into Sunday's game following victories either side of the international break, having seen off promoted Genoa in Turin before returning to action with a 3-0 win over Salernitana last weekend.

After Alessandro Buongiorno put the Granata in front at Stadio Arechi, Nemanja Radonjic followed up his late winner a week earlier by netting twice to put his team in total control.

As a result, Torino have now won back-to-back matches without conceding and they sit three points above Roma in the early Serie A standings.

Although Duvan Zapata recently joined last term's top scorer Antonio Sanabria at the club, scoring enough goals has been an unresolved issue for Ivan Juric, but if the Croatian coach's famed organisational skills can be supplemented by a more potent front line, Toro could find themselves edging further up the table.

Team News

In addition to some likely rotation between successive Thursday evening fixtures, Jose Mourinho must make one enforced change to his Roma starting XI in Turin: the manager's Portuguese compatriot Renato Sanches was forced off during the first half against Sheriff Tiraspol, being replaced by Leandro Paredes, and a thigh injury is set to rule him out on Sunday.

Long-term absentees Marash Kumbulla and Tammy Abraham are also unavailable, with Chris Smalling and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini facing a race against time to be passed fit.

Up front, Andrea Belotti will hope to get the nod as he returns to his old club, but Romelu Lukaku is unlikely to be rested - particularly as he averages a goal involvement every 51 minutes against Torino.

Torino, meanwhile, are still without Ivorian defender Koffi Djidji, and Mergim Vovjoda's participation is in some doubt due to a thigh problem.

David Zima and Nikola Vlasic, the latter of whom has been sidelined by illness, could come back into the reckoning; Ivan Ilic should return from an ankle injury.

Starting in support of Duvan Zapata, who plays the lone striker role in Ivan Juric's familiar 3-4-2-1 formation, Nemanja Radonjic has already scored more goals in four league appearances this season (three) than in the entire 2022-23 campaign (two from 28 games).

Torino possible starting lineup:
Milinkovic-Savic; Schuurs, Buongiorno, Rodriguez; Bellanova, Ilic, Ricci, Lazaro; Vlasic, Radonjic; Zapata

Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Llorente, Ndicka; Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes, Aouar, Spinazzola; Dybala, Lukaku

We say: Torino 0-1 Roma

Heading into the fifth round of fixtures, only Napoli had conceded fewer shots than Roma in Serie A this season; meanwhile, only Cagliari have recorded fewer on target than Torino. It could therefore be a close-fought encounter in Turin, with perhaps one goal separating two well-drilled sides.


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