Roma’s injury concerns in defence for Juventus clash

Gian Piero Gasperini says that Mario Hermoso is dealing with muscle fatigue on the eve of a Serie A match against Juventus, but the Roma coach wants to ‘touch the team as little as possible’ even if Evan Ndicka is unavailable.

Roma might be short of options at the back tomorrow when they visit Juventus in the big match of Serie A Round 16.

Ndicka, one of their best defenders this season, is on Ivory Coast international duty for the AFCON, and Hermoso is not fully fit. Neil El Aynaoui is also participating in the AFCON with his Morocco national team and won’t be available in Turin tomorrow.

Gasperini previewed the Juventus game at a press conference on Friday, providing the latest team news for the Giallorossi.

“Dovbyk is not fully recovered, even though he has been training for several days. He still has some difficulty in kicking,” the coach said via Sky Sport.

“The rest of us are all available, except for those who have left. There’s a slight issue with Hermoso that we hope to resolve.

“It’s a fatigue issue, I hope we’ll be able to recover him,” Gasperini continued, discussing the Hermoso problem in more depth.

“I want to touch the team as little as possible. To bring Celik along, you have to move three players, which isn’t ideal. Ndicka’s absence forces us to try options like Ziolkowski, Celik or Ghilardi. If Hermoso doesn’t make it, it will make things more difficult.”

Roma sit fourth in the Serie A table, four points above the Bianconeri.

“Today, we’ll see if Dybala is able to start,” concluded Gasperini.

“His motivation is always high; it’s just a matter of him feeling good and being able to sprint and shoot in the best possible way.”