Neither side finished 2017 in good manner, so this match will serve as an opportunity to kick-start their season and start the New Year strongly.

It has to be noted though that Atalanta pulled off a major coup by winning the Coppa Italia clash against Napoli at Stadio San Paolo few days ago.

AS Roma entered the new league campaign with big ambitions, and new boss Eusebio Di Francesco has so far done a very good job in replacing Luciano Spalletti.

Up until few weeks ago, the Giallorossi were doing well on all fronts, but the poor finish to the year caused plenty of problems.

Namely, AS Roma were eliminated from the Coppa Italia at the hands of Torino, while league setbacks against Juventus and Sassuolo saw them slip to nine points behind league leaders.

The good news is that the Giallorossi still occupy a Champions League berth, although fifth-placed Lazio are just two points behind.

The game against very good Atalanta side will be by no means a walk in the park, but the hosts need to try and return to winning ways as soon as possible.

Kostas Manolas will play after recovering from a knee problem, while Radja Nainggolan should keep his place in spite of his trademark unprofessional behaviour during the holidays.

Probable starting line-up (4-3-3): Alisson – Florenzi, Fazio, Manolas, Kolarov – Strootman, De Rossi, Nainggolan – Perotti, Dzeko, El Shaarawy.

This is the first time that Atalanta are forced to balance between the Serie A and Europa League campaigns, but that is clearly a sweet experience for Gian Piero Gasperini and his men.

Orobici have already proved they are not out of place in European competitions having topped the group that also contained Lyon and Everton, and they are slowly getting their league campaign back on track.

While qualifying for the Coppa Italia semis by defeating Sassuolo and Napoli, Atalanta improved their league position thanks to good results vs Lazio (3-3) and AC Milan (2-0).

However, Orobici were then surprisingly beaten at home by Cagliari, meaning they will have to try and make amends at Stadio Olimpico.

The good news is there are absolutely no selection worries for Gian Piero Gasperini, with Caldara, Cristante and Berisha set to be recalled.

Probable starting line-up (3-4-1-2): Berisha – Toloi, Caldara, Masiello – Hateboer, Cristante, Freuler, Spinazzola – Ilicic – Gomez, Petagna.