Serie A preview: Roma´s Europa League hopes fading

Roma face an uphill battle to keep their European hopes alive when they host Serie A leaders Juventus on Saturday.

Roma face an uphill battle to keep their European hopes alive when they host Serie A leaders Juventus on Saturday.

Winless in six matches, Roma have slipped to ninth on the table, seven points adrift of a European berth.

Roma have made 28 appearances in European competition but could miss out altogether this season if they fail to address their latest form slump.

Aurelio Andreazzoli’s men went down to Sampdoria last time out, which came in the wake of a shock loss to Cagliari.

Juventus, by contrast, are five points clear on top of the standings following wins against Fiorentina and Chievo.

Having beaten Celtic 3-0 in the Champions League on Tuesday, Juventus head to Rome full of confidence despite missing the suspended Claudio Marchisio and Federico Peluso.

Meanwhile, second-placed Napoli will aim to keep the pressure on Juventus when they entertain Sampdoria on Sunday.

Napoli are unbeaten in their past seven league outings, having accounted for Catania and Parma in the process.

Elsewhere, third-placed Lazio travel to Siena on Monday in search of their first win in five league games.

Lazio looked set to beat Napoli last weekend, but were left to rue a late equaliser from Hugo Campagnaro.

In other matches, fourth-placed Inter Milan take on sixth-placed Fiorentina in a crucial clash for both sides.

Fifth-placed AC Milan will aim to bounce back from a 1-1 draw with Cagliari when they face Parma at home on Friday.

Palermo are up against Chievo on Saturday, while 18th-placed Pescara can climb out of the relegation zone at home to 16th-placed Cagliari the following day.

Genoa face a tough test against Udinese, while Bologna make the journey to Catania and Torino tackle Atalanta.