High-flying AS Roma will be aiming to cement the second place in the standings and keep their title hopes alive when they host Livorno in the opening match of round 20 in Italian Serie A. Meanwhile, Amaranto are hoping to end a four-match losing run and close the gap behind safety, but that is clearly easier said than done.

Roma back in business

With Juventus again thoroughly impressive on domestic stage, it looks as though Roma won’t be able to mount a serious title challenge, with the 3-0 defeat to their league rivals leaving them eight points adrift of the top of the standings. However, Rudi Garcia’s side are still in a very good position to finally ensure a top 3 finish and Champions League qualification. Decent strength in depth has helped the Giallorossi cope with the absence of Francesco Totti, Gervinho and Mattia Destro, but now that the trio is back and Radja Nainggolan has been added to the squad, Roma are expected to continue the rich vein of form. And while nobody is surprised that attack remains in fine working order, Rudi Garcia is probably delighted that his back line is again as solid as it should be. The Giallorossi not only kept three clean sheets in a row on home soil, but they have now conceded just 2 goals in 11 home fixtures, which is enough to suggest they should be able to prevent sorry Livorno from scoring on SATurday afternoon.

Leandro Castan and Daniele De Rossi are back from suspension, but Federico Balzaretti and Alessio Romagnoli miss out through injury.

A sinking ship

Even if Livorno sit mere four points adrift of safety midway through the league campaign, there are not too many people in Italy who believe they can avoid the drop this season. It is now clear that the club management failed to properly reinforce the squad after the team had gained promotion to the elite division, while it appears they won’t be doing anything to address the issue in January. Amaranto not only failed to sign any reinforcements this winter, but they allowed key midfielder Pasquale Schiatarrella to join Serie B side Spezia, which is enough to suggest they have already come to terms with relegation. And while Livorno have shown some promise in their home matches, Amaranto remain hapless on the road, seeing as how they not only lost seven straight away games, but did not score a single goal in last six. And with players’ confidence at an all time low following the 3-0 home defeat to Parma, Attilio Perotti’s side look destined for another defeat on the travels.

There are no fresh selection worries for the visitors, but centre-back Andrea Coda looks set to miss out once again.

Verdict

AS Roma appear to be on top of their game at the moment and with the Coppa Italia game against Juventus scheduled for Tuesday, the hosts will be looking to get the job done early on and then take their foot off gas. Meanwhile, Livorno are all over the place at the moment and I seriously doubt they can even score at Stadio Olimpico, let alone avoid defeat.

Top pick: Roma/Roma   1.62 (5/8) @ 888sport

Alternative pick 1: Roma to win to nil   1.83 (5/6) @ Paddy Power

Alternative pick 2: Roma to score over 1.5 first-half goals   3.10 (21/10) @ Coral