Catania vs Roma Prediction - Should The Lupi Still Aspire To Serie A Title This Season?

Next Sunday, Roma will travel to Sicily to take on an almost relegated Catania side at Stadio Angelo Massimino for round 36 of Serie A on a match that might condemn the home side to play in Serie B next season but that could also nurture Roma’s aspirations to the league title.

After last Friday’s fantastic victory against AC Milan at Stadio Olimpico, Roma extended their winning streak to nine matches and maintained their Serie A title aspirations very much alive, especially when there are only three matches to play until the end of the season.

Rudi Garcia’s side has totally controlled last Friday’s match against AC Milan and put an abrupt end to the Milanese side’s winning streak. At an almost full Stadio Olimpico, the talented Bosnian playmaker Miralem Pjanic and the versatile Ivorian winger Gervinho offered the home side a 2-0 win, keeping the Lupi’s title dream alive for yet another week.

Although Roma’s travel to Sicily might not be easy, the capital city team should not experience any major difficulties against a fragile Catania’s side that has only won once in their last eleven matches.

For next Sunday’s clash, Rudi Garcia will still not be able to count on the defenders Mehdi Benatia and Federico Balzaretti and on the Dutch midfielder Kevin Strootman, who are sidelined due to injury, and on Mattia Destro, who is still suspended.

As for Catania, next Sunday’s match against Roma could mean their return to Serie B, after seven years at the Italian football top tier. The Rossazzurri are having a season to forget, with just five wins in thirty-five matches so far this season and with the poor record of just one win in their last eleven matches. The match against Roma is probably not the most desirable for the team to try to comeback and, with just three matches to go until the end of the season, their hopes of remaining at Serie A are seriously fading away.

For next Sunday’s match, the team’s head coach Maurizio Pellegrino is not yet certain if he will be able to count on the Argentinean midfielder Sergio Almirón and on the Italian defender Giuseppe Bellusci, who are not yet fully recovered.

When both sides met at Stadio Olimpico back in December, Roma severely hammered the Sicilian side 4-0 with goals from Gervinho, Destro, and two from Benatia. Next Sunday’s match might have a similar outcome if one considers both sides’ current moment.

Catania

Stats: W-5 L-22 D-8

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Roma

Stats: W-26 L-2 D-7

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Possible Line-ups

Catania (4-4-2) - Frison - Peruzzi - Spolli - Rolin - Monzón - Rinaudo - Barrientos - Plasil - Lodi - Leto - Bergessio

Roma (4-3-3) - De Sanctis - Maicon - Tolói - Castan - Dodô - De Rossi - Pjanic - Nainggolan - Totti -  Ljajic - Gervinho

Prediction: Catania 0 Roma 2