The return of Gervinho and arrival of fellow Ivorian Seydou Doumbia cannot come quickly enough for Roma, whose Serie A campaign has faltered while the pair were away winning the African Nations Cup.
Doumbia and Gervinho arrived in Rome on Thursday, having taken a detour to Abidjan, to take part in the Ivorians’ title celebrations. However, it was not certain whether they would start tomorrow’s match at home to Parma.
But their arrival has given coach Rudi Garcia renewed optimism after a difficult injury-plagued month which has even started speculation as to whether the Frenchman would stay on at the club after this season.
When Gervinho left for Equatorial Guinea at the start of the year, second-placed Roma were only three points behind leaders Juventus and nine clear of third place.
In his absence, they have managed only two wins and four draws in six games, scored a modest eight goals and dropped seven points behind Juventus while Napoli are lurking in their rear view mirror, four points behind in third.
Gervinho’s pace has made him Roma’s most dangerous attacking weapon in their 18 months under Garcia and Roma have looked toothless in his absence.
An injury to forward Juan Manuel Iturbe has not helped and came just after fellow striker Mattia Destro had been loaned to Milan, unhappy at only being given a limited number of starts despite scoring regularly.
Doumbia, signed from CSKA Moscow for €15 million during the Nations Cup, is a fascinating addition to the squad, boasting a prolific scoring record.
He was the Swiss league’s leading scorer in both his seasons with Young Boys and amassed 129 goals in 83 appearances for CSKA, including 17 in 22 in European competition, and many wonder why he has taken so long to reach one of the major European leagues.
“Soon I will have more choices and the squad will have versatility on the field and on the bench as well,” Garcia told reporters after a barely-deserved 2-1 win at Cagliari last week.
Another promising sign for Garcia was the performance of 18-year-old Daniele Verde who set up both goals against the Sardinians.
“I believe in him because he is fast, he has quality and technique and, as well as that, he works for the team and is hungry,” said Garcia.
“With these qualities he will go a long way.”
Meanwhile, Juventus will not miss a beat tomorrow against Cesena despite the suspension of striker Carlos Tevez, according to coach Massimiliano Allegri.
The Argentina international has been in rampant form this season, scoring 14 goals and setting up seven more in 21 league appearances, but he will be absent this weekend due to an accumulation of bookings.
“Tevez is an important player,” Allegri told reporters.
“He has a way of playing that makes a difference. But I’m not worried that he will miss the game at Cesena because I have an important roster.
“(Alessandro) Matri has recovered from injury while we also have (Fernando) Llorente and (Alvaro) Morata available for selection.”
Third-placed Napoli are riding a four-match winning streak heading into today’s game at Palermo and, if results go their way, they will temporarily close the gap on Roma to one point.
Fiorentina and Sampdoria are level on 35 points, seven adrift of Napoli.
The Viola carry a five-match unbeaten run into their away game at Sassuolo while Samp, who take on Chievo in Verona, are without a victory in their last three league games.
Fixtures
Serie A
Playing today
Sassuolo vs Fiorentina - 18.00
Palermo vs Napoli - 20.45
Tomorrow – 15.00
Atalanta vs Inter
Cesena vs Juventus - 20.45
Chievo vs Sampdoria - 18.00
Genoa vs Verona
Milan vs Empoli - 12.30
Roma vs Parma
Torino vs Cagliari
Udinese vs Lazio
Standings: Juve 53; Roma 46; Napoli 42; Fiorentina, Sampdoria 35; Lazio 34; Genoa 32; Torino 31; Palermo 30; Inter, Milan, Sassuolo 29; Udinese 28; Verona 24; Empoli, Atalanta 23; Chievo 21; Cagliari 19; Cesena 15; Parma (-1) 9.
Serie B
Played yesterday
Perugia vs Modena - 2-0
Today – 15.00
Avellino vs Frosinone
Bari vs Vicenza
Bologna vs Ternana
Carpi vs Spezia
Entella vs Trapani
Latina vs Pescara
Pro Vercelli vs Cittadella
Varese vs Livorno
V. Lanciano vs Brescia
Monday
Catania vs Crotone - 20.30
Leading standings: Carpi 50; Bologna 44; Livorno 40; Avellino 39; Frosinone 38; Vicenza 37; Spezia 35; V. Lanciano, Ternana 34.