Roma find themselves in a familiar position as they prepare to host 17th-place Sassuolo in today’s Round 11 fixture at the Stadio Olimpico. A month ago, after a catastrophic Champions League collapse against Real Madrid, Roma had little time to reflect on their misery, with another emotionally charged reunion against former midfielder/club captain/manager and overall legend Daniele De Rossi waiting in the wings.
Roma responded with a convincing 2-0 win that afternoon, using goals from Emanuele Lulli
and Santiago Castro to breeze past Genoa. Now, with the stench of Tuesday’s 3-2 loss to Manchester United still wafting around Trigoria, Roma welcomes another former midfielder-turned-manager, Sassuolo’s Alberto Aquilani, to the capital.
While squandering a two-goal lead at Old Trafford sparked a new wave of doom and gloom in the Eternal City, it may have obscured an important, ongoing development: Roma has not lost a league match since last April. Extending that unbeaten streak to 18 matches will keep the Giallorossi hot on Lazio’s tail, who face a tricky fixture against Napoli on Sunday.
If Roma can put the ghosts of Old Trafford behind them, focus on today’s fixture, and get a little help elsewhere on the table, they could enter the international break one point off the league lead.
