Gian Piero Gasperini has already got AS Roma on track after just four matchdays: nine points, fourth place in the table and remarkable defensive stability, manifested in four 1-0 wins from their last five games. On Sunday, his team welcomes crisis-stricken Hellas Verona to the Stadio Olimpico, who are stuck in 15th place after six games without a win and only three points. The bookmakers see Roma as clear favorites, but the recent form of both teams suggests a low-scoring spectacle.
The new Roma coach recently demonstrated his knack for the right rotation in the 2-1 away win in Nice, despite the absence of key players such as Dybala and Bailey due to injury. Meanwhile, Paolo Zanetti is still struggling to find the right balance at Verona. Although the Scaligeri have remained unbeaten in their last three games, their goalless cup exit against Venezia on penalties revealed their problems in attack. They recently showed themselves to be competitive against Juventus, earning a point.
Roma won the last meeting in April 1-0, a typical result in this fixture. There has not been a single draw in the last five encounters, with Roma always hitting the mark.
- Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Rome
- Date and time: 09/28/2025, 3:00 p.m.
- Competition: Serie A (Matchday 5)
AS Roma Form & Record Check
Roma are currently in impressive form. Four wins from their last five games speak for themselves, with only a 1-0 home defeat to Torino two weeks ago interrupting their run. Remarkably, the Giallorossi won all four games 1-0, underlining their defensive stability.
Their recent 2-1 win at Nice in the Europa League underlined the mentality of this team. After a goalless first half, Ndicka and Mancini turned the game around within three minutes, although Nice managed to pull one back from the penalty spot. Prior to that, the derby triumph at Lazio, with Pellegrini scoring the winner, had already proven the quality of the team.
With nine points from four league games, Roma are level on points with Milan in fourth place in the table. They are just one point behind Atalanta. Gasperini has already made his tactical mark on his team, even though key attacking players such as Dybala and Bailey are currently out with injuries. Their defensive discipline is striking: in the first half of their last five games, the Romans have not conceded a single goal.
Roma are likely to line up in their tried-and-tested 3-4-2-1 formation, as they did in their recent 2-1 win over Nice in the Europa League. Gasperini continues to rely on his preferred system with three center backs, with Svilar likely to start in goal.
The squad remains stretched: Dybala and Bailey, two important attacking players, are still out with injuries, while Bove is sidelined indefinitely due to heart problems. These absences are likely to prompt Gasperini to rely on proven players such as Soulé and El Shaarawy to support Dovbyk in attack.
In midfield, the duo of Koné and El Aynaoui could once again form the center, while Rensch and Tsimikas could provide width on the wings. In the back three, Mancini, Ndicka, and Çelik are likely to stabilize the defense.
Verona Form & Record Check
Verona is currently stuck in a phase characterized mainly by draws. After four matchdays in Serie A, the Scaligeri have drawn three times and lost only once. That doesn’t sound bad at first, but the nature of the results reveals a certain lack of threat in attack.
The recent 1-1 draw against Juventus was quite remarkable. Paolo Zanetti’s team was by no means inferior to the league leaders and could even have taken the lead through Serdar, had the goal not been disallowed for offside. Orban converted a penalty to earn a deserved equalizer after João Mário handled the ball in the box.
Verona seems to have developed a specialization in goalless draws this season. The uneventful draw against Cremonese was already the second low-scoring result in a row. The season opener in Udine also ended in a draw. Only the clear 0-4 defeat at Lazio stands out from this pattern.
The recent Coppa Italia match against Venezia confirmed this trend once again. After 120 goalless minutes, Verona lost 4-5 on penalties and was knocked out of the cup. With only three points after four league games and 15th place in the table, the haul is not yet satisfactory.
Coach Paolo Zanetti is likely to stick with his tried-and-tested 3-5-2 formation, even though he will be without several key players. The absences of Suslov and Valentini weigh heavily, while Gagliardini and Mosquera are also unavailable.
Montipò could start in goal, while the back three is likely to consist of Slotsager, Bella-Kotchap, and Ebosse. Al-Musrati and Santiago will form the central axis in midfield, flanked by Cham and Niasse on the wings. Sarr and Ajayi are expected to start up front, with Kastanos providing support. The official line-up will only be announced shortly before kick-off.
H2H AS Roma – Verona Head-to-head & statistics
The head-to-head record between AS Roma and Verona shows a balanced picture in the last five encounters. Roma leads narrowly with three wins to two for the Scaligeri, with no draws recorded.
The most recent match in April 2025 ended in a narrow 1-0 win for the Giallorossi. Verona won both away games in this series convincingly, most recently in November 2024 by 3-2 and in 2023 by 2-1. Roma, on the other hand, won all three home games against Verona, albeit mostly by narrow margins.
The goal difference in the last five encounters is very close at 7-6 in favor of the capital club. It is striking that both teams have scored in every game. There is a clear trend in terms of goal density: in the last three encounters, the action has been quieter in the second half. Roma scored in all five encounters, while Verona never failed to score.
While the markets price Roma as clear favorites at 1.40, they overlook the tactical reality of a Gasperini team that has won four of its five games 1-0 so far. The tip for under 1.5 goals at 3.40 is tempting, especially since Verona stays under 2.5 goals 80% of the time and both teams together score only 1.4 goals per game.
The visitors have failed to score in three of their last four away games, which underlines the value of “Both teams to score: No.” Roma have not conceded a goal before the break. The halftime draw tip at 2.25 reflects another constant: Roma have remained goalless at halftime in four of their last five league games, while Verona have done so in four consecutive games. With Dybala and Suslov out, both sides are missing their creative engines, which could further slow down the early stages before Gasperini’s pressing intensity comes into play in the second half.
