Preview: Roma looking to return to winning ways
After starting the season in impeccable fashion which saw them winning all of their opening ten matches Roma have dropped points in consecutive games drawing against bottom table teams Sassuolo and Torino which has narrowed the gap between them and second placed Juventus. Roma will now be looking to make amends against a Cagliari side which has lost thrice in the last five matches.
Despite of their performances in the last two fixtures La Maggica are the only side unbeaten in Italy’s top tier league and will be hoping to maintain their record when they face the Rossoblu.
Roma fans are likely to take manager Rudi Garcia’s recent comments on his side’s title aspirations with a pinch of salt. The Frenchman has stated that his side is not as good as Juventus and that it would be an achievement for Roma to finish in the top five.
"Juventus have been built to win the Scudetto – we are not at that level just yet,” said the Roma manager.
"If we finish in the top five that would be a very good result for us."
"Our aim this season has to be qualifying for European competition, perhaps the Champions League.”
"It is normal that our fans are dreaming big but I believe we need to try and be realistic.”
Cagliari will come into this match at the back of a 2-1 victory over Torino, however Diego López’s men had lost all of their prior three matches and will have to respond strongly if they are to stop themselves from further dropping down in the league table.
Roma on the other hand will continue to be without their talismanic captain Francesco Totti. The Yellow-Reds have suffered immensely in the absence of their star forward who is expected to be out until the mid of December.
Striker Marco Borriello will have a late fitness test to determine his inclusion in the squad but Federico Balzaretti is expected to start despite a muscular problem.
Where to watch the match – live stream, start time, TV channels, Live scores
Watch AS Roma vs Cagliari live on Monday, November 25, 2013:
In Canada at 14:45 ET on RAI Internazionale, beIN Sport Play Canada
In UK at 19:45 BST on BT Sport 2
In USA at 14:45 ET on RAI Internazionale, beIN Sport Play, beIN Sport USA
Fans based in Australia can watch the match live on RAI Internazionale.
For complete details of match listings and live scores, visit the AS Roma vs Cagliari match page.
