The pressure is piling on Roma boss Gigi Del Neri following their disastrous derby defeat, but Atalanta are on a high after their first win of the season.

The Giallorossi were the favourites going into Thursday’s Derby della Capitale, but came out of that clash with a 3-1 defeat and an embarrassing overall performance. Inconsistency has been a major problem throughout the campaign, but they were particularly ineffective in that most crucial of games.

Vincenzo Montella returns from suspension to restore the trident attack, but Del Neri is again forced to reshuffle with Leandro Cufre, Alberto Aquilani and Simone Perrotta all handed one-match bans. This means that we’ll see youth team player De Martino come into the side and Christian Panucci pushed further up the field.

Atalanta may still be propping up the table, but their first victory of the campaign has certainly been a confidence booster. Igor Budan marked his comeback following knee surgery with the winning goal against Fiorentina – the first the team had scored in six rounds – and their fans’ long-standing rivalry with Roma ensures this will be another fiery encounter.

Ex-Lazio man Demetrio Albertini cannot return to the Stadio Olimpico, as he is suspended along with Bellini, so Migliaccio and Bernardini take the reins in midfield.

Roma (probable): Pelizzoli; Mexes, Dellas, Ferrari; Mancini, De Rossi, De Martino, Panucci; Totti, Montella, Cassano

Atalanta (probable): Taibi; Innocenti, Sala, Natali, Rivalta; Zenoni, Bernardini, Migliaccio, Marcolini; Montolivo, Pazzini

Ref: Tombolini