Just over two months ago, after Roma’s defeat to Como in the Lombard town, there was talk in the Eternal City about the real danger of the Giallorossi getting caught in a relegation battle. Memories of the infamous “five-coach” season from two decades ago resurfaced, when Roma only secured their top-flight status in the penultimate round. Tonight, however, with a victory against Monza in the final match of Serie A’s 26th round, Roma could effectively re-enter the race for sixth place—a spot that leads to the Europa League—an objective that seemed unreachable at the end of last year.🚨 Gasperini to Roma?! Gasp is a strong candidate for the Roma job especially after he opened the door to leaving Atalanta this summer. Ranieri would like him to be the man to create a long term project. 📰 Il Messaggero pic.twitter.com/UPiof1xEIy— Italian Football TV (@IFTVofficial) February 23, 2025 The Romans have collected 21 points in their last nine matches, with six wins and three draws. No team in Serie A has had a better record in 2025 than Roma, and that is why Claudio Ranieri’s squad now finds itself dusting off ambitions of securing a place in next season’s Europa League. It cannot be said that Roma has been dazzling over the past two months, but they have been winning and steadily improving their points tally week after week. Those familiar with Ranieri’s work know that his teams are never known for their beautiful football—they are highly pragmatic, some might even say cynical. From Fiorentina and Valencia to Chelsea, Juventus, Roma, Leicester, and Cagliari, his teams have always prioritized results over aesthetics.UEL: United play against Real, Mourinho could face Roma in the semi’sWith a win tonight, Roma would move just one point behind Milan and Bologna and two points behind Fiorentina, as all three of those teams lost last weekend, compromising their ambitions in the battle for fourth place. And the good news for the Giallorossi doesn’t stop there. Roma has a favorable schedule until the end of March, with home matches against Como and Cagliari and away trips to Empoli and Lecce—12 very attainable points on paper. In the same period, Milan faces Lazio and Napoli while also needing to make up a game against Bologna at the Dall’Ara. Bologna’s schedule is similarly challenging, while Fiorentina faces a tough March, clashing with Napoli, Juventus, and Atalanta. So, it wouldn’t be a surprise if, by early April, Roma finds itself in sixth place or very close to Lazio ahead of the city derby in mid-April—a scenario that, just weeks ago, seemed like pure science fiction.Jay-Jay makes a serious stance regarding the Gasperini vs Lookman caseRanieri’s players shouldn’t have too difficult a task against Monza—not just because of the standings but also due to Monza’s lengthy list of absentees, with 11 players missing, at least half of whom are regular starters. Ico didn’t travel to Rome due to suspension, while the injured list includes Pessina, Gagliardini, Sensi, D’Ambrosio, Caprari, Birindelli, Caldirola, Akpa Akpro, Castrovilli, and Forson. On the other hand, Roma will only be without Artem Dovbyk. However, this doesn’t mean Ranieri won’t make some rotations, given that the Giallorossi have their first Europa League clash against Athletic Bilbao next week. Yesterday, Ranieri locked down Roma’s final training session before facing Monza, ensuring that no information about the lineup was leaked, even skipping the usual pre-match press conference. The experienced coach knows that matches against relegation candidates can be tricky “banana skins” where teams can easily slip up.UEL: The Jewel is still shining in full glory!Meanwhile, yesterday brought confirmation: Niccolò Pisilli has extended his contract with Roma until 2029. The young Roman was previously earning 6,000 per month—a lot for ordinary people but pocket change in Serie A. Now, he has become a millionaire, set to earn just under 2 million euros per year. Next on the contract renewal list is Mile Svilar. The Serbian goalkeeper currently earns 700,000 net per year (1.3 million gross), but his salary is expected to triple, with negotiations surpassing 2 million.🤝 Niccolò Pisilli 2️⃣0️⃣2️⃣9️⃣ 🐺 📄 https://t.co/K3nUqtda0e#ASRoma pic.twitter.com/WWBrTth04I— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) February 23, 2025 Roma has never lost to Monza in Serie A, with three wins and two draws. Additionally, the Giallorossi have fared well against bottom-placed teams, recording five wins, one draw, and one defeat in their last seven encounters. Interestingly, that lone draw came against Monza in the first half of the season. In 2025, Roma has collected 17 points in seven matches (five wins and two draws), two more than their closest competitors. Over the same period, they have conceded the fewest goals in Serie A—just five. No team currently has a longer unbeaten run in the league than Roma (nine matches), and tonight, they could extend that streak into double digits. Moreover, Mile Svilar hasn’t conceded in the last two matches, and for the first time in two years, Roma could string together three consecutive clean sheets.SERIE A – MATCHDAY 26Friday Lecce – Udinese 0-1 (0-1)/Lucca 32 pen/Saturday Parma – Bologna 2-0 (1-0)/Bonny 37 pen, Sohm 79/Venezia – Lazio 0-0Torino – Milan 2-1 (1-0)/Thiaw 5 og, Gineitis 76 – Reijnders 74/Inter – Genoa 1-0 (0-0)/Martinez 78/Sunday Como – Napoli 2-1 (1-1)/Rrahmani 7 og, Diao 77 – Raspadori 17/Verona – Fiorentina 1-0 (0-0)/Bernede 90+5/Empoli – Atalanta 0-5 (0-3)/Gyasi 27 og, Retegui 33, Lookman 43, 55, Zappacosta 74/Cagliari – Juventus 0-1 (0-1)/Vlahovic 12/Monday 22.45: (1.32) Roma (5.10) Monza (10.0)***odds are subject to change***
