Roma dealt with late injury blow ahead of Juventus clash | OneFootball

Roma manager Claudio Ranieri won’t be able to rely on Lorenzo Pellegrini as a starter in Sunday night’s big showdown against Juventus.

After their calamitous start to the season under Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric, the Tinkerman returned from retirement to heed the call of his beloved Giallorossi, and has managed to steady the ship.

The Italian capital side is enjoying a splendid revival under the guidance of the former Leicester City boss. Roma somehow managed to drag themselves back to the Champions League race, currently sitting 6th, just three points adrift of  5th-placed Juventus. This set up the stage for what should be a thrilling battle at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday night.

But sadly for Pellegrini, he’s unlikely to take part in the action, at least not as a starter.

(Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

As reported this morning, the 28-year-old was expected to start alongside Matias Soulè in the two attacking-midfielder role behind Artem Dovbyk.

But according to Il Corriere dello IlBianconero, the Roman skipper was forced to stop in the last training session at Trigoria after taking a blow to the calf which earned him a bruise.

The source thus rules the former Sassuolo man out of the starting lineup, but still expects him to take his place on the bench and potentially get a second-half cameo.

It remains to be seen who Ranieri will resort to as a replacement. The manager’s choices are limited, as Paulo Dybala is out for the remainder of the season with an injury, while Alexis Saelemaekers will be serving a one-match ban.

Former Empoli man Tommaso Baldanzi could be an option. As for Stephan El-Shaarawy, he is expected to start as wingback, but fielding him in a more advanced role could be another solution.