MY ACCOUNT
– Roma are heavy favourites against Serie B side Genoa in the Coppa Italia round of 16
– Genoa are unbeaten in four matches under new boss Alberto Gilardino, winning three
– Recommended bet: Roma to win and both teams to score
Roma head into this Coppa Italia round of 16 clash in high spirits having rescued a point away at AC Milan last time out despite being 2-0 down with three minutes to play.
However, while Jose Mourinho’s men are understandably heavy favourites against Serie B visitors Genoa, they will have to be careful against a dangerous-looking underdog.
The visitors arrive in excellent form, taking 10 points from their last four league outings against fellow promotions hopefuls as the Griffin look to bounce straight back up to the top tier.
A trip to the capital to face Mourinho’s men is a significant step up in class, but Alberto Gilardino’s side will not be overawed. Genoa drew 0-0 at Stadio Olimpico last season and have taken a point off Roma in four of the last five Serie A seasons, so will be hopeful of producing a shock in the Coppa Italia.
Team news
Roma are without long-term injury victims Georginio Wijnaldum and Ebrima Darboe. Wijnaldum is only a fortnight away from making his comeback after breaking his leg in August but fellow midfielder Darboe is still a month or so from returning after sustaining a cruciate ligament injury in pre-season.
Mourinho returns to the dugout for the Giallorossi having been suspended for the last two matches after collecting a red card prior to the World Cup break.
Genoa have a near fully fit squad to choose from, although defender Silvan Hefti is unavailable through injury.
Alberto Gilardino remains in the Genoa dugout having last week been appointed on a permanent basis after impressing as interim manager.
The stats
Genoa did not win any of their final five matches under former manager Alexander Blessin, losing three games and drawing two, but are unbeaten under Gilardino, winning three matches and drawing one. All three wins came against teams in the top seven of Serie B — including against leaders Frosinone — while the draw came away at ninth-placed Ascoli.
Despite eventually dropping out of the top flight last season, the Liguria club claimed a few notable results on their way out of Serie A. Genoa beat Juventus on home soil, shared the spoils in both meetings with Atalanta, drew against Inter and held Mourinho’s side to a stalemate in Rome.
Mourinho’s men have kept just one clean sheet in their last eight home games in all competitions and have conceded in two of this season’s four matches against teams currently in the bottom five of Serie A.
Prediction
Roma are rightly strong favourites to see off their Serie B visitors and book a place in the Coppa Italia quarter-finals, but Gilardino’s in-form side could make a game of it.
Genoa are no minnows and had been in the top flight for 15 years prior to last season’s relegation — and since Gilardino took the reins at the start of December they have looked destined for a swift return to Serie A.
Any enthusiasm for an upset is dampened by the fact that the visitors have failed to beat Roma in any of their last 16 meetings.
However, they rarely give the capital club an easy game, scoring in four of their last six trips to Stadio Olimpico and not losing by more than a single goal in any of those visits — adding the draw/Roma half-time/full-time double result to Bet Builder combinations looks a decent approach.
But Mourinho’s men have enough quality to eventually get the job done, so backing Roma to win and both teams to score could prove shrewd at 21/10 with LiveScore Bet.
