Serie A Preview: Roma vs Genoa – Team News, Lineups & Prediction
Genoa head coach Daniele De Rossi returns to his old stomping ground to face his former club, Roma, whose confidence took another hit on Wednesday. As a matter of fact, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men are no longer the only unbeaten Serie A team this season after midweek Champions League action.
Donyell Malen emphatically responded to last weekend’s send-off against Como, scoring a second-half brace to propel Roma to a 3-1 lead against Real Madrid. However, conceding three goals in seven minutes condemned the Giallorossi to their first competitive loss since April, knocking Gasperini’s side off an impressive 14-game unbeaten streak (W10, D4).
Malen won’t be at Gasperini’s disposal tomorrow, when Roma will try to bounce back from that chastening 4-3 defeat against De Rossi’s Genoa. The visitors should travel in high spirits after netting two goals in the opening 15 minutes to beat Fiorentina 2-1 at Stadio Luigi Ferraris last weekend and secure their first league win of the season (D1, L4).
Whether the Griffins can go back-to-back for the first time since April remains questionable, especially considering that they’ve already lost in Rome this season. Lazio got narrowly better of them in late August, with Davide Frattesi’s first-half winner making the difference in that evenly contested fixture.
Match Preview
Roma
Keen to pick themselves back up after Wednesday’s heartbreak, Roma are standing on the brink of a huge milestone. Despite being held to consecutive draws by Inter and Como, the Giallorossi could smash a 17-point barrier after the opening seven Serie A rounds for the first time since 2014/15 with a win here.
Few would be against Roma achieving that feat, knowing they haven’t lost any of their last 15 league matches at the Olimpico (W11, D4). Furthermore, they’ve been historically dominant in this fixture, suffering just one defeat in their last 40 top-flight clashes against Genoa on home turf (W33, D6).
However, a 3-1 loss at the Marassi in their last Serie A meeting should warn Roma not to take anything for granted. Rediscovering their defensive solidity could be essential after conceding multiple goals in two of their last three competitive outings, given that five of Roma’s last six wins have been accompanied by a clean sheet.
That assumption becomes particularly vital when factoring in Malen’s absence. The Dutch forward has scored six of Roma’s 14 league goals this season, which accounts for nearly 43% of their total.
Genoa
Summer signing Milutin Osmajic continued his dream start to life in Serie A with an opening goal against Fiorentina, netting his third goal of the season. The Montenegro international has scored 60% of Genoa’s Serie A goals in 2026/27 and is likely to be the most serious threat to Roma’s goal, alongside former Giallorossi man Stephan El Shaarawy.
Finding the net may not be as problematic for Genoa as keeping Roma at bay, considering they’ve conceded at least once in their last six top-flight encounters. It’s also worth noting that they’ve failed to keep a clean sheet across their last three Serie A road trips, including a 21 defeat at fellow bottom-half strugglers Parma last time out.
De Rossi must find a way to stem the bleeding if Genoa are to record their first Serie A win on Roma’s home ground since 1990. Three successive league defeats at the Olimpico don’t bode well for the visitors, who must tighten up at the back to stand any chance of springing a surprise.
Team News
In addition to Malen, who must serve a one-game ban, Roma will also be without starting goalkeeper Mile Svilar and star midfielder Manu Kone. The Frenchman had to come off early against Real Madrid with a muscle strain, and Niccolo Pisilli, who replaced him in that match, could return to the starting lineup in the likely absence of Bryan Cristante. Paulo Dybala is also a doubt.
Genoa, on the other hand, must deal with a sizeable injury list. None of Lorenzo Colombo, Djibril Sow, Elias Havel, Ethan Meichtry, and Lorenzo Venturino will be at De Rossi’s disposal for this clash. However, Junior Messias, who scored in last season’s home win over Roma, will join forces with Osmajic in attack after scoring against Fiorentina.
Roma vs Genoa Potential Starting Lineups
Roma (3-4-2-1): Gollini; Mancini, Balerdi, Hermoso; Rensch, De Roon, Pisilli, Wesley; Soule, Mora; Castro.
Genoa (3-4-2-1): Bijlow; Otoa, Ostigard, Vasquez; Ehizibue, Frendrup, Traore, Ellertsson; Messias, El Shaarawy; Osmajic.
Roma vs Genoa Prediction
There’s probably a universe in which De Rossi leads Genoa to their first Serie A win at the Olimpico since the early 1990s. Yet, we are most likely not living in it. Roma are heading toward one year without a league defeat at home, and we back them to extend that proud record with another victory.
Prediction: Roma to Win
