Roma vs Pisa (01:45, 11/4): AS Roma's Golden Opportunity

The 2-5 defeat at Inter in the previous round was like a death sentence for Roma's efforts to secure a Champions League ticket after eight years of absence, but facing the bottom-ranked Pisa tonight is an opportunity for them to bounce back.

On the Serie A standings after 31 rounds, Roma are currently in 6th place with 54 points, not far behind Como (58) and Juventus (57) in the race for the Top 4. However, their problem is not just about points.

AS Roma in Freefall

In just six weeks, Roma have thrown all their efforts from the start of the season down the drain. Before the crucial match against Juventus on February 23rd, Roma were still in 4th place in Serie A, tied on points with Napoli and only 4 points behind Milan in 2nd place, 4 points ahead of Juventus and 5 points ahead of Como. But after five rounds since that point, they have only gained 4 more points (1 win, 1 draw, 3 losses), leaving them now 11 points behind Napoli, 4 points behind Como, and 3 points behind Juventus. While their rivals have surged forward, Roma are like a car running out of fuel, heavily rolling its final wheels.

A 4-point gap from the Top 4 is not too far when the season still has 7 rounds left, but few believe Roma can win this race given their extremely poor form recently. In their last 13 matches across all competitions, they have only won 3, losing 5. The consequence is not only a freefall in Serie A but also elimination from the UEFA Europa League in the round of 16 by fellow Italian side Bologna. The defense, once Roma's strongest asset in the first six months of the season with only 16 goals conceded in 26 rounds, is now fragile like soap bubbles. In the last 5 rounds, Roma have conceded 12 goals. When the attack cannot compensate for the defense, Roma are helpless.

Gasperini also powerless

When appointing coach Gian Piero Gasperini in the summer of 2025, Roma were full of optimism about returning to the Champions League. The reputation and experience of the 68-year-old manager, who consistently led Atalanta to the prestigious competition, created sufficient confidence. In reality, despite facing many difficulties in scoring, Gasperini managed to keep Roma in the Top 4 until a month ago, but then everything quickly slipped away.

Roma's biggest problem this season, more than scoring few goals or their sleepwalking defense recently, is their extremely poor performance in big matches, with the 2-5 defeat at Inter last week being the latest example. In 11 matches against the other six teams in the current Serie A Top 7, Roma have only won exactly one match (1-0 against Como in the first leg), drawn 3, and lost 7. Where is the Gasperini who once created an Atalanta fearless of big opponents and achieved great victories? Perhaps the reason is not only Roma's lack of capability but also because Gasperini left his magic wand at Atalanta.

Roma's Golden Opportunity

Next weekend, Roma will face Atalanta themselves, their final Top 7 clash of the season. Atalanta have also faded after losing Gasperini and certainly cannot return to the Champions League, the competition where they were Serie A's deepest runner this season but suffered a heavy 2-10 defeat to Bayern Munich in the round of 16. A glorious era for Atalanta closed behind Gasperini, while Roma's new era with Gasperini has not opened as expected.

Nevertheless, while there is still water, there is hope. Facing the bottom-ranked Pisa at home in the opening match of Round 32 tonight is a golden opportunity for Roma to temporarily break their streak of sorrowful days, while putting pressure on rivals Como (against Inter) and Juventus (visiting Atalanta), who both face difficulties in this round. The perfect scenario for Roma is that they win while the other two lose or draw (a fairly high possibility), then the gap would be only up to 2 points and the Champions League door would reopen. The most important thing is that Roma must win to restore confidence, to know that they are not hopeless and still have a chance to fight.