A coveted top-four finish in Serie A is on the line as Como and Roma go head-to-head at Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Sunday evening. Locked together on 51 points, both teams will be out to grab a precious victory and take a step closer toward securing Champions League qualification.

With Juventus squeezing past Udinese last night, Como and Roma are now two points adrift of the top four, underscoring the magnitude of the fixture ahead. Despite returning to the top flight only last season, Cesc Fabregas’ men have already established themselves as genuine contenders for the highest positions in the table.

Buoyed by a three-game winning league streak, bookended by a 2-1 victory at Cagliari last weekend, Como will take the field in high spirits, seeking a first set of four consecutive Serie A wins this season. Standing in their way is Roma, who shared the spoils with Bologna in midweek Europa League action.

That result forms part of the Giallorossi’s three-game winless streak in all competitions (D2, L1), which features a 2-1 league loss at Genoa last time out. However, the visitors can draw confidence from winning back-to-back meetings with Como, including a narrow 1-0 triumph in December’s reverse fixture at the Stadio Olimpico.

Match Preview

Como

Fabregas’ charges have hit their stride at a perfect moment. Three successive league wins have helped them smash a 50-point barrier after 28 matches for the first time in the club’s history, setting them up perfectly for this high-stakes showdown. Como have accumulated just over 50% of those points at home (W7, D5, L2), which doesn’t make them an idle threat.

Despite their 50% win ratio in home league matches, the Lariani have been outstanding defensively, with only Roma (9) conceding fewer home goals in Serie A than Como’s ten this term. Even so, the hosts have delivered a mixed bag of performances across their last three top-flight outings at the Sinigaglia (W1, D1, L1), with their only win in that sequence coming against bottom-half Lecce.

However, only two teams have bagged more home goals than Como (24) so far this season, though Fabregas’ men have drawn a blank in two of their last four competitive games here (W1, D2, L1). That potentially paints a bleak picture for Como, who are seeking a third straight home win over Roma in the 21st century, having won both previous meetings by the same 2-0 scoreline.

Roma

Despite Roma’s underwhelming record at the Sinigaglia, they’ve emerged victorious from seven of their last nine Serie A clashes against Como. While that sounds promising, Gian Piero Gasperini’s men head into proceedings amid a rough patch, having won just two of their last nine games in all competitions (D5, L2).

Furthermore, the visitors are staring down the barrel of a four-game winless streak for the first time since December 2024. Avoiding that unwanted feat feels imperative for the Giallorossi if they are to maintain their hopes of securing a top-four finish in Serie A for the first time since 2017/18.

Confidence is unlikely to be high, given that they’ve won none of their last three away league matches (D2, L1), conceding precisely two goals twice in that stretch. Roma’s rhythm tends to falter in the second half, with their last seven goals conceded coming after halftime, highlighting a worrying tendency to lose focus when it matters most.

Still, it’s also worth noting that they have failed to find the net before the break in three of their last four competitive encounters, hinting at a potentially slow start to what shapes up to be a fiercely contested fixture.

Team News

Dutch winger Jayden Addai remains the only notable absentee in the Como squad, though Maximo Perrone suffered a minor thigh strain against Cagliari. Nevertheless, Fabregas can call upon his talismanic forwards, Nico Paz and Tasos Douvikas, both of whom are one goal away from hitting double digits.

On the other hand, Roma head into this meeting severely crippled by injuries, with Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk, and Evan Ferguson still in the pits. Moreover, Evan Ndicka must serve a one-game ban. On the bright side, Gasperini will welcome Gianluca Mancini back from suspension, while Manu Kone has resumed full training, meaning he should be available for selection.

Como vs Roma Potential Starting Lineups

Como (4-2-3-1): Butez; Smolcic, Ramon, Kempf, Valle; Perrone, Da Cunha; Vojvoda, Paz, Baturina; Douvikas.

Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Ghilardi, Mancini, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Pisilli, Pellegrini; Malen.

Como vs Roma Prediction

Given the stakes, it’s only reasonable to expect both managers to take a cautious approach, which might result in a dull 0-0 draw.

Prediction: Draw