Monza – AS Roma : Preview & Prediction
Monza’s comeback from 2-0 down to beat Fiorentina in their last home game saw them seal their status as this century’s best Serie A (SA) debutants (44 points) with seven games remaining. And after that, with a 2-0 win at home to Spezia, the Biancorossi remain on course to become the eighth promoted side to reach 50 points in a 38-game season in the three-point-per-win era.
If Raffaele Palladino’s men can have any complaints before kickoff, it might be their recent lack of consistency at the Stadio Brianteo. Each of their last five home games has produced a different result to the previous one (G2, E1, P2), and considering that in both defeats they failed to score against Top 6 sides, there is no doubt that they still have plenty to prove their worth.
Monza can also expect a backlash from a frustrated Roma side still alive in the UEFA Europa League. After a 1-1 draw against AC Milan on Saturday, La Lupa thought they had won it with a 94th minute goal against the Rossoneri, only to drop points almost immediately after scoring. That result generated Roma’s continued pendency against teams that are trying to break into the top six in the standings.
While expected to bounce back, Roma have not had very good results away from home lately and have won just one of their last nine official matches on rival soil (E2, P6). In that span there are two games in which they failed to beat newly promoted opponents, including a 2-1 loss to Cremonese, a team that is in the bottom three in the standings, meaning that Roma could go an entire SA season without an away win against such teams for the first time since 1998/99.
Players to watch: Matteo Pessina scored late to complete Monza’s comeback in their last meeting at Brianteo Stadium, meaning he scored the last penalty goal in two of the previous four home games where the “Biancorossi” side won or drew. As for Roma, Paulo Dybala remains the last player to score a winning goal away from home, and interestingly, his last nine goals on rival territory have been the first of the match or have tied the score at 1-1.
Weekend stat: Roma have won five (E1) of the away Serie A games in which they have opened the scoring this season.
Monza – AS Roma : Betting Tips
AS Roma – Win Odds: 2.25
