Preview: Riomma – Palermo

By: Steven | January 27th, 2009

Wednesday, January 28th, 2009 20.30
Stadio Homolimpico, Riomma

I warriors, brigate rosanero, siamo forti e vinceremo!

Preview

Ah, Riomma – Palermo…half of the Roma Offside has been waiting for this match for weeks: Kleenex within reach, pre-made ‘You guys suck’-posts saved in a Word-file and pictures of Totti on the nightstand. All because their team, lying in sixth behind teams that have dominated the league for the last 25 years Napoli and Genoa, are playing Palermo, a team one point behind their glorious squadra.

Before we start, a quick round-up of the season so far:

Points won: 33 – 32
Coppe Italia won: 0 – 0
Chance of winning Serie A: 0% – 0%
International competitions won: 0 – 0
Budget: Huge – Almost none
Confrontations won against opponent: 0 – 1
Goals scored against opponent: 1 – 3

That’s right, Poor man’s Lazio has no reason to be acting like a human shit stain all season long. We have had a rough season so far, just like Lazio, I mean, Roma, but at least we’re where we want to be. And that is why tomorrow isn’t a must-win game for us. A huge advantage, if you ask me. ASS Roma isn’t a team like Udinese, Atalanta or Genoa: direct competition for the Europa Cup. Getting away with one point would be fantastic, but I won’t be crying if it’d be a loss.

Squad Status

Palermo

Talking down our chances of winning points in Rome is done for a reason. Savini will be thrown in at the deep end to replace potty mouth Balzaretti, and Miccoli is out as well. You guessed it: we’ll be playing a Christmas Tree. It worked out well against Samp, so why wouldn’t it work out against Riomma?

Probable Lineup:
Amelia; Cassani, Carrozzieri, Bovo, Savini; Nocerino, Liverani, Miggy, Bresciano, Simplicio; Cavani,

Roma

Yeah, right…

Probable Lineup:
Doni; Cicinho, Mexes, Juan, Riise; Taddei, De Rossi, Brighi, Perrotta; Totti, Vucinic

Categorical Matchup

Roman vs. Brazilian: Palermo. Sketchy Doni versus Roman Marco. If Soccermom recovers from last week’s crapfest, there’s no doubt about the outcome of this.

Bash Brothers vs. Ginger Spice & Baby Spice: Push. Bovo needs to step up the pace, but the Vaseline Brothers on the Roman side of town aren’t all that either.

La Statua and The Four Horsemen vs. Macho, Macho Man: Push. Our midfield is wreaking havoc all over Italy lately, but Daniela De Rossi scares me. Not like Pennywise the clown, but more like Rip Taylor.

Lone Gunman vs. Lone Gunman: Roma. I don’t see Totti playing a full game. Either he’ll come of the bench, or he’ll be replaced after 20 minutes because his shoes are on too tight. Vucinic is on form, and I’m still not fully convinced by Cavani.

Final Analysis

I don’t really feel like doing this, as this is a game that could go either way. Both teams have been on a roll in the last weeks, with Palermo getting a 12/15. Miccoli’s out, Balza’s out and we’re playing a dangerous Roma-team. On the other hand, we beat them earlier in the season and we don’t have to push ourselves into an underdog position.

If we don’t give up a goal in the opening 15 minutes, I can see us getting a draw.

Form Guide

Palermo
WLWWW

Roma
LDWWW

Previous Encounters:

Dunno.

Prediction
1-1. Fozzy bomb, Vucinic header.

MOTM:

Fozzy.