Ranieri will count on under-fire Roma trio against Napoli – report | OneFootball

According to Il Corriere dello Sport, Claudio Ranieri will start under-fire Roma trio Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante and Lorenzo Pellegrini in the next Serie A match against Napoli.

Ranieri was appointed by Roma last week and has been preparing for Sunday’s important Serie A fixture against Napoli.

Reports in Italy suggest the experienced Italian coach will give more playing time to Mats Hummels, who has only made one appearance as a substitute since moving to the Stadio Olimpico on a free transfer last summer.

Ranieri will count on under-fire Roma trio against Napoli

Roma’s Lorenzo Pellegrini (L) and Inter’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan (R) in action during the Italian Serie A match AS Roma vs FC Inter at Olimpico stadium in Rome, Italy, 20 October 2024. EPA-EFE/ANGELO CARCONI

The latest Corriere dello Sport report adds that the ex-Leicester City boss will also rely on three stars who the fans have strongly criticised in recent months: Mancini, Cristante and captain Pellegrini.

According to Corriere dello Sport, the Italian trio will start at the Stadio Maradona this coming weekend as Ranieri wants to rely on their experience and personality to get a result against the table leaders.

Fans at the Olimpico booed Pellegrini in recent games. The Italian midfielder hasn’t scored in 14 appearances across all competitions this term.

Mancini was accused of ‘giving up’ in Ivan Juric’s last game in charge of Roma against Bologna, while Cristante was no longer a regular starter under the Croat and was even subbed off after just 30 minutes in a 5-1 loss to Fiorentina in October.

Cristante already played under Ranieri at Roma, making 11 appearances in 2019.