Both Daniele De Rossi and Simone Inzagh will have almost their full squads to choose from when Roma host table-topping Inter at the Stadio Olimpico in Serie A on Saturday evening.
Roma are still without Evan Ndicka, who is expected to start at centre-back for Ivory Coast in the Africa Cup of Nations final against Nigeria on Sunday. Apart from him and Tammy Abraham, who remains sidelined with his cruciate ligament injury, the Giallorossi had a full squad of players involved in training this week.
De Rossi’s men come in off the back of three successive league victories following the departure of Jose Mourinho in January. They are tipped to stick with the back four that helped them to their first clean sheet in nine matches against Cagliari last weekend.
Bryan Cristante, Leandro Parades and Lorenzo Pellegrini are lined up to start in a midfield three, while Paulo Dybala and Stephan El Shaarawy support Romelu Lukaku in attack.
Inter also had two players unavailable this week in Juan Cuadrado and Davide Frattesi, but the former Sassuolo midfielder returned to training with the group on Thursday.
Inzaghi himself will have to watch this one from the stands, having been sent off during Inter’s 1-0 victory over Juventus last weekend.
Inter will likely field Benjamin Pavard alongside Francesco Acerbi and Alessandro Bastoni in defence, with Matteo Darmian and Federico Dimarco at wing-back.
A midfield combination of Nicolo Barella, Hakan Calhanoglu and Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the most likely scenario, while Marcus Thurman looks set to partner the division’s leading goalscorer Lautaro Martinez up front once again.
Kick-off is set for 17.00 GMT.
Roma (4-3-2-1): Patricio; Karsdorp, Mancini, Llorente, Angelino; Cristante, Parades, Pellegrini: Dybala, El Shaarawy; Lukaku.
Inter (3-5-2): Sommer; Pavard, Acerbic, Bastoni; Darmian, Barella, Calhanoglu, Mkhitaryan, Dimarco; Thurman, Martinez.
#SerieA | @OfficialASRoma, la probabile formazione contro l'Interhttps://t.co/vM4LV6TaiA
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) February 9, 2024