Jose Mourinho warns Roma have already experienced problems with Cremonese, explains what Gini Wijnaldum brings and why Tammy Abraham is on the bench today.
It kicks off at 17.30 GMT, you can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Juventus-Torino on the LIVEBLOG.
The Giallorossi have the opportunity to leapfrog Lazio into joint second place with Inter and Milan with a victory.
However, they are well aware that Cremonese already knocked them out of the Coppa Italia quarter-final only a few weeks ago and also eliminated Napoli before that.
“It’s not just the Coppa Italia, but also the first game we played against them in Serie A, and the analysis we made of their most recent match, where they are always able to contest the result. They haven’t yet got the results they deserve, but are a difficult side to face,” Mourinho told DAZN.
Wijnaldum gets his first start in the Roma jersey today, having fractured his tibia in August after just one substitute appearance and made his comeback this month with snippets of matches. Does the midfielder on loan from PSG bring greater quality to Roma’s moves?
“It would be like saying Matic and others who usually play do not have the same quality, so I won’t say that. But Gini is in condition to play more than 10-15 minutes he had recently and gives us more options. When you enter a phase of the season where there are also Europa League knockout ties, having options is very important for us.”
Abraham is again on the bench in favour of Andrea Belotti, as he continues to struggle after an accidental clash that left him needing stitches for a cut under his eye.
“I think the injury is limiting him more mentally than physically. I prefer to start the game with a player in peak condition,” explained Mourinho.