After a week full of turmoil, Roma are back in action, with Ivan Juric making his debut off the bench against Udinese.
Roma begin a new era this weekend when they host Udinese at the Stadio Olimpico.
Just four games into the 2024/25 season, the Giallorossi made a surprising announcement on Wednesday: they had sacked manager and former club captain Daniele De Rossi.
Roma are yet to win a Serie A season, having drawn three and lost once at Empoli. A slow start has led the club to sack the 41-year-old, who signed a three-year contract three months ago, and to appoint former Verona and Torino manager Ivan Jurić as his replacement.
The situation is quite the opposite for visiting team Udinese. The Friulians have started the season strongly under new coach Costa Rundjajic, winning three and drawing one so far.
The match is scheduled to start at 6pm (CET) at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
Rome
Still reeling from the shocking sending off of De Rossi, Roma will be hoping to bounce back from the turmoil and secure their first win of the season under new coach Ivan Jurić.
For the Croatian, who has recently been praised for his performances in Torino, it is a huge opportunity for him to prove that he is worthy of a big club, as his team is known for their work rate and intensity. His contract runs until the end of the season and includes an automatic renewal if they qualify for the Champions League.
The action begins on Sunday when surprise Serie A leaders Udinese visit the Stadio Olimpico, where fans will protest against the club’s management and their unfair handling of De Rossi’s sending off.
However, Yurić will be tasked with reinvigorating a Roma side that has struggled to find their scoring touch. They have scored just twice in four games and have struggled to make the most of their goalscoring opportunities.
He is likely to continue to use the 3-4-2-1 formation he favoured during his time at Granata, with questions likely to be raised about his ability at wing-back and in attack.
On the flanks, Alexis Selemaekers will be out for two to three months after undergoing surgery on his injured ankle. Meanwhile, the club are expected to reintegrate wideman Nikola Zalevsky, who was left out of the squad after rejecting a move before the original deadline.
In attack, it is yet to be seen how Yurić will deal with the trio of Paulo Dybala, Matias Sole and Lorenzo Pellegrini, all of whom are candidates to play behind Artem Dobbic.
Udinese
Meanwhile, Udinese have enjoyed an impressive start to the season under Costa-Lunjajic and currently sit top of the Serie A table. They will be looking to continue their strong form and end their recent poor run of form against home teams.
Udinese have won ten points from their first four games, equalling their best start to a Serie A season since Luigi De Canio’s 2000/01 season.
Costa-Lunjajic (3 W, 1 D) is also the third manager in Udinese history to go unbeaten in his first four Serie A games under his command, following Giovanni Galeone in 2005/06 (3 W, 1 D) and Enzo Ferrari in 1980/81 (2 W, 2 D).
However, the Friulians have struggled mightily against Roma, losing 18 of their last 22 games against them in Serie A since the 2013/14 season.
Expected lineup
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svila; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Kone, Cristante, Angelino; Dybala, El Shaarawy; Dobbik
Unavailable: Encho Le Pe, Alexis Salemaekers
Udinese (3-5-2): Got it; Christensen, Bizol, Kabasele; Ehizibue, Karlstrom, Payero, Lovric, Kamara; Thauvin, Luca
Unavailable: Alexis Sanchez, Lautaro Giannetti
