Zdenek Zeman makes big changes as Roma and Atalanta try to put last weekend’s hammerings behind them, dropping Daniele De Rossi, Nicolas Burdisso and Pablo Osvaldo.
Zdenek Zeman makes big changes as Roma and Atalanta try to put last weekend’s hammerings behind them, dropping Daniele De Rossi, Nicolas Burdisso and Pablo Osvaldo.
They step into the Stadio Olimpico for the lunchtime match, which kicks off at 11.30am BST.
The Giallorossi are still smarting from a 4-1 defeat to rivals Juventus and have to regain their confidence.
Miralem Pjanic, Dodo and Bogdan Lobont are still on the treatment table, but Zeman is tempted into radical changes.
Michael Bradley gets his first start since returning from a long injury lay-off, while Leandro Castan, Marquinhos and Ivan Piris completely revamp the defence after Nicolas Burdisso suffered from what Zeman described as “tactical problems.”
Pablo Daniel Osvaldo is also shelved in favour of a Mattia Destro-Francesco Totti-Erik Lamela trident, while even Daniele De Rossi is dropped to the bench.
Atalanta suffered an even worse loss last Sunday, crushed 5-1 at home by Torino.
The Orobici are also in the middle of an injury crisis, as Guglielmo Stendardo, Daniele Capelli, Davide Biondini, Thomas Manfredini, Carlos Carmona, Ivan Radovanovic and Ferreira Pinto are absent.
Stefano Lucchini sits out a ban, so the defence has to be completely reshuffled.
Roma: Stekelenburg; Piris, Marquinhos, Castan, Balzaretti; Florenzi, Bradley, Tachtsidis; Destro, Totti, Lamela
Roma bench: Goicoechea, Svedkauslas, Marquinho, Taddei, Lopez, Perrotta, Burdisso, Romagnoli, Osvaldo, De Rossi
Atalanta: Consigli; Raimondi, Matheu, Peluso, Brivio; Schelotto, Cigarini, Cazzola, Moralez; De Luca, Denis
Atalanta bench: Frezzolini, Polito, Ferri, Milesi, Scozzarella, Palma, Bonaventura, Troisi, Marilungo, Parra