Roma vs Monza

Stadio Olimpico is the venue as resurgent Roma and in-form Monza lock horns in an exciting Serie A match-up.

Roma fans might complain about the timing of October’s international break, considering it interrupted their side’s form resurgence, pressing a pause button on their three-game winning streak in all competitions. Inspired by Romelu Lukaku’s match-winning double, Jose Mourinho’s improving team thumped promoted Cagliari 4-1 on the road last time out, moving within a six-point distance of fourth-placed Fiorentina at the start of this round. Back to the Stadio Olimpico, where they’ve won their last two Serie A outings via an aggregate score of 9-0 after a shambolic two-match winless run (D1, L1), ‘I Giallorossi’ will be out to replicate a 3-0 win from this corresponding fixture last season. With Roma winning more home games ‘to nil’ than any other Serie A side in 2023, that’s a genuine possibility for Mourinho’s side.

On the other hand, Monza fired a warning shot to Roma with an emphatic 3-0 home triumph over Salernitana before the international break, consolidating their revival after a shaky league start. Indeed, Raffaele Palladino’s men are now unbeaten in their last five Serie A matches (W2, D3) after losing twice in their opening three (W1) this season. Monza’s defensive solidity has been nothing short of admirable, with ‘I Biancorossi’ registering three clean sheets on the bounce in the run-up to this fixture. In fact, they’ve not conceded a goal in Serie A for 348 minutes, accounting for the longest ongoing such run in Italy’s top division. But scoring has been a problem for Monza. Before dismantling Salernitana, they had only scored five times in their first six Serie A games this term.