AS Roma vs Fiorentina 04/04/19

4 April 2019

Devastated by a disastrous 4-1 home loss to Napoli last time out, AS Roma prepare for a massive Serie A showdown against Fiorentina in what is a must-win game for Claudio Ranieri’s men.

Sitting four points adrift of fourth-placed AC Milan with nine fixtures left to play, the visitors can’t afford another disappointment if looking to secure the Champions League football. The Giallorossi have not only won just two of their previous five SA outings, but they have suffered three defeats in that period, with each of those failures saw them conceding over 1.5 goals per match. Ranieri’s players are eager to settle the score with Viola following a humiliating 7-1 hammering in Coppa Italia back in January, which was Roma’s second loss in three of their previous H2Hs with Fiorentina (D1, L2). An encouraging fact for the home fans is that Roma gathered 59.57% of their total SA points at home, scoring 33 goals in 14 league home games (joint-best SA record). However, a potential worry for Ranieri could be that his players have failed to keep a clean sheet in 11 straight SA home outings, allowing 2+ match goals five times in the process.

Meanwhile, Fiorentina’s strong start to the second half of the season seems like an ancient history given the fact they’ve failed to pick up all three points in all five of their previous SA clashes (D3, L2). The main cause of the visitors’ sudden drop-off in form is a weak defense that has struggled to keep a clean sheet in seven consecutive games across all competitions, conceding over 1.5 goals per match twice though. Viola’s offensive firepower has also slowed down in the recent period, having gone from three straight games in which they’ve scored 3+ match goals to four successive meetings in which they’ve netted exactly one goal per match. Much more comfortable at home, Stefano Pioli’s players have gobbled just 42.11% of their total SA points on the road, with three of their eight league wins arriving away from home.