Soccer Italy Serie A Prediction

AS Roma vs Salernitana - Match Preview

⚽ 22 May 2023 - 16:30 GMT +0

Some say José Mourinho has sacrificed Roma’s hopes of a top-four spot in search of another European success, as the Giallorossi are winless in five Serie A (SA) matches after their goalless draw at Bologna. They did, however, progress into the UEFA Europa League final in midweek after a 0-0 draw against Bayer Leverkusen was enough to see them advance despite firing only one shot during the whole match and winning that tournament comes with the prize of a Champions League place!

Despite the club’s injury crisis coming to an end, their returning stars likely won’t be enough to overturn the damage that has already been done to Roma’s league campaign given they trail the top-four spots by six points ahead of the round. They’ll be eager to at least improve on their latest two home league failures against the Milan sides (D1, L1), but considering they were preceded by two 3-0 victories against bottom-half sides, confidence should be high ahead of the visit of lowly Salernitana.

After their ten-match unbeaten run ended in defeat at Empoli, Salernitana reacted in fine fashion by beating European hopefuls Atalanta 1-0 last time out. Antonio Candreva’s late goal prompted big celebrations as it has all but secured a third-consecutive top-flight season for the Campania-based side, with ambitious coach Paulo Sousa claiming he wants to build an even “more competitive squad” as he aspires to see his side doing more than just battling to survive.

The visitors have picked up 17 of their 38 points since the Portuguese boss arrived in mid-February (W3, D8, L2), collecting five consecutive draws on their travels before that Empoli defeat. Avoiding a repeat of that result could hinge on who nets the opener, and Salernitana will be keen to ensure it’s them as they’ve avoided defeat in all four SA away matches this term in which they have done so (W1, D3).

📋 Players to watch: One of the few indestructible members of Roma’s team, Bryan Cristante scored his only SA goal this season in the reverse fixture but has collected three yellow cards in the last six matches. Salernitana’s hero last week, Candreva might struggle to repeat those heroics as he has scored only once against Roma in 24 personal H2Hs (W5, D8, L11), but it was here at Stadio Olimpico.

⚡ Hot stat: Salernitana has scored beyond the 80th minute in five of their last seven matches, including the previous four in a row.