Roma have to do without Mohamed Salah and Kostas Manolas, so revamp for the visit to giant-killers Genoa and their hitman Giovanni Simeone.
It kicks off at 14.00 GMT, follow the build-up and action as it happens from all today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.
The Giallorossi need a victory to keep second place under lock and key after Napoli beat Sampdoria 2-1 last night.
Roma have to do without Mohamed Salah and Kostas Manolas, so revamp for the visit to giant-killers Genoa and their hitman Giovanni Simeone.
It kicks off at 14.00 GMT, follow the build-up and action as it happens from all today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.
The Giallorossi need a victory to keep second place under lock and key after Napoli beat Sampdoria 2-1 last night.
Luciano Spalletti is forced into changes, most notably Salah on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt.
Radja Nainggolan is shifted into the trequartista role behind Edin Dzeko and ex-Genoa star Diego Perotti, moving Bruno Peres and Emerson Palmieri out wide.
Francesco Totti is nursing an inflamed Achilles tendon, but if he features then it’ll be his 25th consecutive year with at least one Serie A appearance.
There are also issues at the back, because Thomas Vermaelen is out with a bruised soleus muscle, Alessandro Florenzi is a long-term absentee and Kostas Manolas failed a fitness test, so Juan Jesus starts in a three-man defence.
Genoa are missing Miguel Veloso and Lucas Orban, while Serge Gakpe is also on international duty.
It’s the first game since Leonardo Pavoletti (Napoli) and Tomas Rincon (Juventus) were sold, while new buys Mauricio Pinilla, Leonardo Morosini and Davide Biraschi are on the bench.
There should be a real battle on the wings with Darko Lazovic, Diego Laxalt and Nikola Ninkovic pushing hard, while Lucas Ocampos supports ‘Cholito’ Simeone.
Despite beating the likes of Juventus and Milan at Marassi, the Grifone ended 2016 with a shock 4-3 home defeat to Palermo.
Roma have an excellent record against Genoa, winning eight of their last nine meetings, home and away.
Last season this was a 3-2 thriller for the Giallorossi, sealed by ex-Genoa talent Stephan El Shaarawy’s 87th-minute goal.
Genoa: Perin; Izzo, Burdisso, Munoz; Lazovic, L Rigoni, Cofie, Laxalt; Ninkovic, Simeone, Ocampos
Roma: Szczesny; Rudiger, Fazio, Juan Jesus; Peres, De Rossi, Strootman, Emerson; Nainggolan; Dzeko, Perotti