Roma are in such a difficult position that not even a victory over leaders Juventus would bring them a lot of good, but that doesn’t mean the Bianconeri won’t have to work hard for a win at Olimpico.

Considering the quality of the squad at Luis Enrique’s disposal, Roma should be fighting for the title this term, but instead they are struggling to remain in the top half of the table.

Nobody was too surprised by the under-par performances at the start to the season as that was attributed to the process of rebuilding the squad, but the time has come for the fans to start demanding better results.

The record of 17 points from 13 Serie A games is simply not good enough for such a high-profile side and unless the Giallorossi beat Juventus, Luis Enrique and his players are going to be in big problems.

However, taking everything into account, odds of 4.00 (3/1) offered by Victor Chandler on home win are not too tempting for me.

In the absence of Burdisso, Juan, Kjaer and Casseti, Daniele De Rossi could be used as a make shift centre-back, whereas Gago, Krkic, Pizarro and Borini also miss out.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-1-2): Stekelenburg – Rosi, De Rossi, Heinze, Taddei – Perrotta, Simplicio, Pjanic – Totti – Osvaldo, Lamela.

Even if everybody at the club continue saying that they are not thinking about the Serie A title, the reality is that Juventus are one of the main candidates for the coveted trophy.

Alessandro Conte’s side are playing much better than anyone could have predicted and the talented coach has got to be given credit for rebuilding the team in such a short period of time.

As a result, Juventus now sit one point clear of second-placed Lazio, but with a game in hand, so backing the Bianconeri to win Serie A title at 2.46 (73/50) offered by Betfair may not be such a bad idea.

As the switch to 4-3-3 formation have produced excellent results of late, Antonio Conte is likely to stick to the new system, with Alessandro Matri again set to be deployed as a lone forward.

Mirko Vucinic continues to miss out, with Marcelo Estigarribia expected to start on the left flank.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Buffon – Lichtsteiner, Barzagli, Bonucci, Chiellini – Vidal, Pirlo, Marchisio – Pepe, Matri, Estigarribia.