Roma return to the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening when they welcome Empoli to the Italian capital.
After a draw with Cagliari, Daniele De Rossi’s side return to the pitch this weekend and look to secure their first win at home against the Tuscans in the second round of Serie A.
The Giallorossi endured a turbulent week after Paulo Dybala appeared set to leave. But the Argentine changed course and decided to stay. The decision was praised by Roma supporters, some of whom chanted outside his home.
Empoli are looking for their first win of the season after a goalless draw with Monza in their opening match.
Rome
The confusion surrounding future star forward Paulo Dybala finally came to an end this week. After extensive negotiations, La Joya accepted a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabian side Al Qasia. However, he changed his mind at the last minute and announced that he would remain in the Italian capital.
The announcement has brought a sigh of relief to Daniele De Rossi, who is expected to start for Argentina alongside Artem Dobbic and Matias Sole.
“Dybala’s selection is very rare in today’s football,” De Rossi admitted in his pre-match press conference.
“It was a very emotional situation, full of ups and downs. Now the fans should not only see him as a technical leader, but also be proud of him. I expect Olimpico to give him a special welcome tomorrow.”
In midfield, the Giallorossi welcome back Leandro Paredes from suspension. He is likely to join Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini, while Zeki Celik, Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka and Angelino are likely to start in defence.
Empoli
Meanwhile, the visitors travel to the Italian capital with one goal in mind: to get a result. After narrowly avoiding relegation in the final minutes of last season, suspended manager Roberto D’Aversa admitted his side were in a tough spot, especially after Dybala’s decision.
“Obviously it will be a completely different game to last week. Especially considering that Dybala is staying, we will see a very intense atmosphere,” D’Aversa explained.
“The stadium will be very supportive of the team. In the game against Monza we had the chance to get a perfect result but we didn’t succeed. We have to give more than 100% to leave the Stadio Olimpico tomorrow with a positive result because sometimes when you play against big teams, even 100% is not enough.”
“We know we are up against a great team who are better on paper than us, but if we want to get a positive result, we have to be brave and perform well in both phases of the game to force them to play the game they don’t like. We can’t afford to give anything less than 100%.”
As for the absences, Tuscany will be without midfielder Simone Jurkowski, defender Tyrone Ebuehi and goalkeeper Samuele Perisan due to injuries, while Alberto Grassi will be suspended for one match.
Expected lineup
Roma (4-3-2-1): Svila; Celic, Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala Soule; Dobbik
Unavailable: Rick Karsdorp, Eldor Shomurodov
Empoli (3-4-2-1): Vasquez; Walukiewicz, Ismaili, Beaty; Gayasi, Haas, Henderson, Pezzella; Pacini, Esposito; Colombo
Unavailable: Alberto Grassi, Szymon Zurkowski, Tyronne Ebuehi, Samuele Ferrisan
