Serie A: Former Manchester United defender set to make his debut for AS Roma

Edin Dzeko and Aleksandar Kolarov struck on either side of Nicola Sansone’s 54th-minute penalty as AS Roma saw off Bologna 1-2 in the last game.

Roma will host Atalanta in their next Serie A match and will no doubt be looking to make a hat-trick of wins in front of their fans.

However, head coach Paulo Fonseca will have to make adjustments to his backline following Gianluca Mancini’s sending off in the last game.

“As I always tell the squad, we need to keep a level head,” said Fonseca.

“We need to stay focused; we haven’t done anything yet. We’ve only won three games. There’s still a lot to learn and improve and we need to keep our feet on the ground.”

Juan Jesus seemed to be the obvious option to partner Federico Fazio at the back, but Fonseca confirmed in his pre-match press conference that he will be looking to start Chris Smalling in this game.

The 29-year-old secured a move to AS Roma on a season-long loan from Manchester United and is yet to play for Giallorossi this season. He has been struggling with a muscle problem.

View from opponents:

Atalanta will be travel to the Italian capital without Luis Muriel. The 29-year-old Columbian suffered an injury in the last match and will be unavailable for selection.