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Roma vs Juventus Odds & Preview Serie A Round 2

Gary Gowers

by Gary Gowers in Soccer News

Updated Sep 26, 2020 · 7:03 AM PDT

Ronaldo Juve
Juve's Cristiano Ronaldo will be leading the line again this weekend as The Old Lady takes on Roma on Matchday 2 of their quest to win their 10th consecutive Scudetto. (Photo by Insidefoto/Imago/Icon Sportswire)
  • It’s Matchday 2 of 2020-21’s Serie this weekend with SBD’s game of the weekend Juventus’ trip to Rome
  • Juve, predictably, started their season off with a win but Roma’s opening day draw became a 3-0 defeat!
  • We’ll preview the game, look at the odds, some stats, and offer a pick below

Roma entertains Juventus to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on Sunday, September 27, in week 2 of the new 2020-21 Serie A season. Kick off is set for 2:45 pm ET.

For the Giallorossi, the opening day was little short of a disaster with a draw with Verona being turned into a 3-0 defeat by the Italian FA, while for the Bianconeri it was business as usual as they kicked off their quest for a 10th consecutive Scudetto with an easy win.

Let’s preview the game, list the odds, compare some stats, and offer a pick.

Roma vs Juventus Serie A Odds

Team Spread Moneyline Total
Roma +1 (-130) +260 Ov 2.5 (-136)
Juventus -1 (+260) +100 Un 2.5 (+112)
Draw +1 (+280) +260 N/A

Odds from FanDuel taken Sept 26

Nightmare Week for Roma

Opening day couldn’t have gone much worse for Roma. On the pitch, they looked to have earned a point from an underwhelming 0-0 draw in Verona, but an administrative error that saw 23-year-old Guinean international Amadou Diawara listed as an under-22 player resulted in Serie overturning the result and handing a mandatory 3-0 win to Verona. Players under 22 are listed separately in Serie A.

A further odd twist to this was that Roma’s general secretary, Pantoleo Longo, resigned as a result of the error and then immediately joined Verona!

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It all added up to a very tough week for the Romans, with ongoing rumors around the future of star striker Edin Dzeko and questions already being asked of manager Paulo Fonseca, with the out-of-work Massimiliano Allegri being linked to the job. A visit from the reigning champions could either be the last thing Roma needs right now, or maybe it’s the chance to put the off-field troubles behind them and kickstart their season.

Smooth Sailing for Juve

For new Juve manager Andrea Pirlo, the campaign couldn’t have started much better with his team making light work of Sampdoria and cruising to a comfortable 3-0 win in the Allianz Stadium; the goals coming from Dejan Kulusevski on his debut, Leonardo Bonucci and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Roma vs Juventus  Head-to-Head Stats

Roma
VS
Juventus
5th Serie A finishing position in 2019-20 1st
21 Wins 26
7 Draws 5
10 Losses 7
77 Goals For 76
51 Goals  Against 43
70 Points 83
3 Serie A titles 36

The Return of Dzeko?

Fonseca’s players at least reported a clean bill of health after the Verona game, but he will still be without Nicolo Zaniolo — whose second ACL tear is likely to keep him out for the season — Javier Pastore (hip injury) and Diego Perotti, who remains a doubt as he struggles to recover from a thigh strain.

Rick Karsdorp is fit to play but with persisting rumors around him leaving for pastures new, it’s likely that Fonseca will instead give a run-out to Davide Santon, while Dzeko could also play against the team who he nearly joined just over a week ago. With the Dzeko deal falling through at the 11th hour, he looks likely to lead the Roma line again with support from Pedro and Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

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Dybala Available Again

For Pirlo, it’s a question of who to leave out as his already-strong squad is boosted by news that Paulo Dybala — who missed out against Sampdoria — is expected to be fit to face Roma, although he may have to be content with a place on the bench, with Dejan Kulusevski looking set to keep his place up front alongside Ronaldo. New signing Alvaro Morata may also have to wait to make his Juve debut, with Pirlo likely to name the same starting XI that so comfortably beat Sampdoria.

Roma With Three Wins in 10 Against Juve

In terms of head-to-heads, Roma’s record is probably as good as anyone’s against Juve — having won three of the last 10 including their most recent meeting in August — but it should be noted that Roma’s recent win was against the backdrop of Juve having already won the title and both teams giving game time to fringe and young players. So let’s not read too much into that one.

Of more relevance is the fact that Juve look in great shape while it’s been a really difficult week for Roma. Much depends on the impact Dzeko can have on the Roman’s attack, but with Juve even for the win, the chance to double your money is definitely where the value lies.

Pick: Juve to win (+100)

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