Como vs. Roma | Serie A | Pre Match

Boosted by back-to-back wins, Roma will aim to continue their revival on Sunday, when they visit Serie A strugglers Como at Stadio Sinigaglia.

While the Giallorossi have scored seven times in two games to finally halt their decline, their hosts are winless in nine and remain stuck inside the drop zone.

Responding to the avuncular approach of Rome-born club hero Claudio Ranieri, Roma have begun to recover from an awful start to their 2024-25 campaign, which saw them slump into the bottom half of Serie A and threatened hopes of progress in the Europa League.

On Thursday night, they dealt Braga a comprehensive 3-0 defeat at Stadio Olimpico, where Mario Hermoso completed the scoring against 10-man opponents, following earlier goals from Saud Abdulhamid and captain Lorenzo Pellegrini.

That result not only extended a fine home record in UEFA's second-tier competition but also took the Giallorossi up to 14th place in the standings, and as things stand they would qualify for a seeded spot in the playoffs - a cherished top-eight finish is still up for grabs, too.

Days earlier, Roma finally ended a run of four domestic defeats by beating Lecce 4-1 in the capital, as three second-half strikes secured the first victory of Ranieri's third spell in charge.

However, they have not won any of their last 10 away games in Serie A, ahead of their weekend trip to Lombardy - the club's worst such run since the first few months of the century.

In his 479th match as a coach in Italy's top flight, Ranieri will now face a 48th different opponent - joining Carlo Mazzone on that league-high mark - and victory will be his sole aim on Sunday.

Historically, Como have failed to even score in eight of their 12 Serie A home games against Roma, though the teams' most recent league meeting was way back in 2003, when the Lariani actually won 2-0.

A repeat result this week is sorely needed by the current side, coached by Cesc Fabregas, as they are in distinct danger of making a swift return to the second tier at the end of this season.

Last term's Serie B runners-up were pegged back by fellow promoted strugglers Venezia last time out, being forced to settle for a disappointing 2-2 draw despite ex-Roma striker Andrea Belotti putting them in front just before the hour mark.

Though they have now lost just one of their last four fixtures, Como are without a win since September and still await their first clean sheet of the campaign.

Only Hellas Verona have conceded goals at a greater rate on home turf, and the Lombardy side's average of 2.2 per game will read like an invitation to Roma's rejuvenated attack.