Serie A line-ups: Roma vs. Torino

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·26 February 2024

Serie A line-ups: Roma vs. Torino

Sardar Azmoun gets his chance to start with Paulo Dybala, Chris Smalling and Evan Ndicka, as Roma host Duvan Zapata’s Torino just days after the Europa League play-off.

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 17.30 GMT.

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The Giallorossi were in action here on Thursday in the Europa League play-off with Feyenoord, which went to extra time and had to be decided by a dramatic penalty shoot-out.

Mile Svilar was the hero with two saves and has now well and truly supplanted Rui Patricio in goal, but Diego Llorente is out after he was stretchered off with a head injury and Rick Karsdorp also sidelined.

Some squad rotation is necessary, so Romelu Lukaku and Stephan El Shaarawy are among those rested, allowing Azmoun to step in with Dybala.

Ndicka made his comeback against Feyenoord after six weeks away for the Africa Cup of Nations and here gets his first start.

So does Smalling, who had been out for most of the campaign with repeated muscular issues, and this allows De Rossi to switch to a 3-5-2 formation.

Torino have quite a few problems to deal with, including increasing tension between coach Ivan Juric and President Urbano Cairo over the contract situation.

They are also coming off a painful 2-0 home defeat to Lazio in the rescheduled Week 21 fixture on Thursday that ended their six-round unbeaten run.

Mergim Vojvoda has a back injury, joining Adrien Tameze, Alessandro Buongiorno and Perr Schuurs on the absentee list, while Koffi Djidji is not at 100 per cent either.

Duvan Zapata had been close to joining Roma over the summer before they went for Romelu Lukaku instead.