Gian Piero Gasperini is confident Roma are in "better shape" than they were a few weeks ago ahead of their trip to Torino, after welcoming players back from injury and new signings.

Roma have won three of their last four Serie A matches, and sit fifth in the table, level on points with Juventus, though that gap could open to three points with Luciano Spalletti's side playing on Saturday.

However, Gasperini's side come into this game on the back of being knocked out of the Coppa Italia by Torino, who clinched a last-gasp 3-2 win to reach the quarter-finals.

Torino are 11th in the table, with 23 points, and had lost their previous two league games before that midweek triumph.

But with three key players returning from suspension, and Evan Ndicka back in the squad after the Africa Cup of Nations, Gasperini has confidence they can bounce back.

"Better [shape] than the last 15 or 20 days, between the end of December and January, because Ndicka has come straight back in, and we're past the suspensions to [Mario] Hermoso, [Gianluca] Mancini and [Bryan] Cristante," Gasperini said.

"[Lorenzo] Pellegrini will return in attack, and most likely [Evan] Ferguson will also come back in. He's taken a big bruise but seems to have got over it after a week. He'll train and could be called up.

"Two new players have come in [Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz], so we've definitely made up some of the numbers.

"We'll go to Turin with regrets about the Coppa Italia exit, but this is the league. We've had excellent results and are in an excellent position, so it's just another game."

Donyell Malen joined Roma from Aston Villa on Friday, having scored seven goals and registered two assists in all competitions this season.

Gasperini is excited by the addition of Malen, who he believes will be a potent threat for Roma in front of goal.

"He has the right characteristics, and like all players who come in, might need a bit of time to settle in and start playing consistently," Gasperini added.

"But he's a player who played a lot for Aston Villa and is a starter for the Netherlands national team. I'm convinced that they'll like him a lot.

"He's currently a centre-forward, that's the role he prefers, where he can make the most of his speed and his ability to shoot with both feet. I think he has to play close to the goal."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Torino – Duvan Zapata

Duvan Zapata has scored six goals against Roma in Serie A, netting in each of his last two matches against the Giallorossi (both with Torino).

Only one Torino player has scored in three consecutive Serie A matches against Roma in the three-points-for-a-win era: Maxi Lopez between 2015 and 2017.

Roma – Paolo Dybala

Paulo Dybala has only scored one goal in his last 18 Serie A appearances (against Sassuolo on October 26), yet he has netted nine goals against Torino in the competition – only against Udinese has he scored more (12).

Since joining Roma in 2022-23, Dybala has scored more Serie A goals against Torino than any other side (five in six matches).

MATCH PREDICTION: ROMA WIN

Roma have won more Serie A games against Torino than any other side in their history (71 wins from 161 matches), with 42 draws and 48 Torino victories completing their previous encounters in the competition.

And Roma have scored in each of their last 14 Serie A away games against Torino; only on three occasions in their history have the Giallorossi scored at least one goal in more consecutive away matches against a single opponent in the top-flight.

However, Torino won their last Serie A match against Roma, ending a run of eight consecutive games without a win (D2 L6); the last time the Granata managed to do a league double against the Giallorossi in the competition was in 1988-89.

Torino have lost four of their last five Serie A home matches (W1), including the two most recent fixtures against Cagliari and Udinese.

They have not recorded at least three consecutive defeats at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino in the Italian top-flight since between July and November 2020 (four in that instance).

Roma have won their last two Serie A matches without conceding a goal, having only won three consecutive games once so far in the current Serie A season (between September and October).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Torino – 27.1%

Draw – 28.6%

Roma – 44.3%