Roma In Battle To The End For Serie A Champions League Spots

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Roma strengthened the push for Serie A Champions League spots with a 3-0 home win against Cremonese, as Bryan Cristante, Evan Ndicka and Niccolo Pisilli struck in a dominant second half. The result moved Roma onto 50 points from 26 matches and increased pressure on the clubs directly above.

The victory came on Cristante’s 350th appearance for Roma, marking a personal milestone on a key night in the top-four race. Roma attempted 23 shots at Stadio Olimpico, with 16 after the interval, as Cremonese struggled to escape sustained pressure once Roma increased the tempo and control.

The weekend proved favourable for Roma’s Champions League hopes, as Napoli, Juventus and AC Milan all lost. That sequence allowed Roma, sitting fourth, to pull level on 50 points with reigning champions Napoli, while also tightening the contest with Juventus and other rivals chasing European qualification positions.

Opta’s supercomputer rated Roma’s chance of a top-four finish at 62.8 per cent after the Cremonese win, with fourth place the most likely outcome at 29 per cent. Fifth-placed Juventus are Roma’s next league opponents, turning the upcoming fixture into a direct clash that could heavily affect Champions League qualification prospects.

Gian Piero Gasperini stressed that the race is far from decided despite the upbeat numbers. "Sunday will be a very important game; a win would be a big step forward," Gasperini told DAZN Italia. "However, with my experience at Atalanta and qualifying five times in seven years for the Champions League, we pretty much always decided it in the final couple of rounds."

Gasperini also pointed to pressure from clubs outside the current top four. "There are teams coming up behind us, too, like Atalanta and Como, so it will be a battle to the very end. This victory was necessary to give us a small advantage going into the next few weeks, which could yet prove decisive."

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This season’s points return under Gasperini compares well with recent Roma campaigns. Roma have reached 50 points after 26 league matches for the first time since 2020-21. The team have also already registered 16 wins, the highest total at this stage since 2016-17, when Roma posted 19 victories.

It has been a strong first year in charge for Gasperini, who admitted some surprise at the level reached. "I hoped that things would go well here," Gasperini said. "When I saw the reaction from these lads in the first few training sessions, I was convinced we'd do really well. Maybe not quite this well, but the spirit from the first days was ambitious, solid, and with many young players who are growing."

The coach highlighted the development of emerging squad members and the importance of their progress. "Lads like Pisilli, [Lorenzo] Venturino, [Daniele] Ghilardi and [Jan] Ziolkowski are maturing well, it's very satisfying to see." With experienced players and younger talents combining, Roma enter the decisive period of the Serie A Champions League race with confidence and a slight cushion.