The outlook is rather grim for Venezia, who enter this round trailing safety by five points, following a six-game stretch without a league win (three draws, three losses). This is part of a broader sequence where they’ve secured only one victory in 13 league matches (five draws, seven losses). However, those hoping for a resurgence might find solace in the fact that Venezia triumphed 3-2 in this same fixture against Roma during their last stint in the top division.
To enhance their survival prospects, Venezia must achieve something unprecedented, as they have never won consecutive home Serie A head-to-heads. Despite recent struggles, a favourable outcome cannot be dismissed since they’ve been defeated only once in their past five home league outings (one win, three draws). Yet, with just one Serie A clean sheet at the Pier Luigi Penzo Stadium this season, they face an uphill battle.
Following a disappointing exit from the Coppa Italia at the hands of AC Milan, Roma have fewer competitions to manage amid their challenging European pursuit in Serie A. This upcoming match presents an ideal opportunity for them to recover from that 3-1 loss, as they risk their seven-game unbeaten streak in the league (W4, D3) before shifting focus back to the UEFA Europa League, where they face a two-legged play-off against Porto.
Despite their strong form, only one victory among those was secured away as they triumphed over Udinese 2-1 in their most recent away fixture. A troubling aspect of Roma’s performance on the road is that their triumph at Udinese concluded a 13-match winless league streak (D7, L6). However, under Claudio Ranieri’s leadership, they have established a promising foundation for growth, with only Inter surpassing their goal tally in Serie A since Ranieri’s return, notching up 20 goals.
Players to keep an eye on: Hans Nicolussi Caviglia from Venezia has a curious pattern, as each of his goal-scoring performances at home this season coincided with the opposition netting precisely two goals. Artem Dovbyk found the back of the net during Roma’s Coppa Italia loss, marking his fourth goal in his last five club matches, coming after the interval.
Interesting statistic: Roma have only led at half-time in one away match in Serie A this season, sharing the lowest record in the league (HT: D7, L3).
