Roma vs Inter (Match Preview)

Roma meet Inter twice in the space of four days, in both league and cup action.

I Lupi have slid down to sixth, three points behind Fiorentina and a full ten out of the Champions League positions.

Back in November, it looked as
though Zdenek Zeman had finally taken the team in hand, throwing out his free-flowing, attack minded sides. It seems the vacation in Florida did nothing to help the giallorossi, however, as they've scored just twice since play resumed. It was super-sub Pablo Osvaldo that scored against Napoli, but he's been out of action since. Mattia Destro was the Coppa hero, scoring in added extra time.

Inter, once again, are burdened by the weight of their injuries. Top goal scorer Diego Milito is out, as is Antonio Cassano, who's racked up five thus far this season. It's enough to make nerazzurri supporters grateful they snapped up over-the-hill Tommaso Rocchi, as he's likely to start alongside Rodrigo Palacio. Fortunately, Palacio was excellent in the win over Pescara, scoring the first goal and setting up Fredy Guarín for the second.

Players to watch

Roma – Francesco Totti: No player fires up the Roma faithful like Totti does, even if the club’s golden boy is in the twilight of his career. With six goals and six assists to his name in 18 Serie A matches, the former Azzurri star will be looking to improve his numbers further.

Inter – Andrea Ranocchia: Not so long ago considered a failed project at the club, Ranocchia has been a constant fixture under Andrea Stramaccioni, having played more league games so far this season than in the whole of 2011/12. He will need to keep Roma at bay should he want to see his stock rise even more.

Key absences

Roma: Maarten Stekelenburg (doubt); Simone Perrotta (doubt); Pablo Osvaldo (doubt); Bogdan Lobont (doubt); Alessio Romagnioli; Nicolas Lopez

Inter: Diego Milito; Antonio Cassano; Walter Samuel; Ricardo Alvarez; Luca Castellazzi; Dejan Stankovic; Alvaro Pereira (doubt); Philippe Coutinho (doubt)