Chievo vs Roma preview - Destro boosts bid for fantastic five

Roma striker Mattia Destro has recovered ahead of schedule to join a travelling party bidding for a fifth straight Serie A win at the expense of Chievo.

The Italy international suffered a leg injury in Roma's 3-0 Coppa Italia victory over Atalanta but is expected to be fit to play some part at the Stadio Marc'Antonio Bentegodi.

Destro made a slow start in the capital city since leaving Siena but he has scored four goals in his last five games and wants to keep on contributing to Roma's pursuit of a European place.

He told the Corriere dello Sport: "We want to win every game and catch the teams above us.

"We're playing well and doing what the coach asks of us so the results are coming. We want to play a great game on Sunday and bring home as many points as possible.

"We're doing our best, giving our all and through hard work we'll take out the other teams above us."

Vice-captain Daniele De Rossi returned to action against Atalanta following a three-game ban but could miss the trip to Verona with a foot problem.

Striker Pablo Osvaldo was dismissed for a careless elbow in midweek but is available at Chievo, despite coach Zdenek Zeman expressing disappointment over his actions.

Eight-goal midfielder Erik Lamela has recovered from a leg injury with Leandro Castan, Michael Bradley and Miralem Pjanic all facing late fitness tests.

Chievo, meanwhile, are on the verge of winning three consecutive league games for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

Successive wins at Genoa and Cagliari made the Flying Donkeys' travel sickness a thing of the past but Roma will be an entirely different prospect.

Chievo president Luca Campedelli said: "Roma are our bete noire and they're playing at a very high level at the moment. It will be very hard.

"Having picked up 18 points so far is good, though, and the wins over Genoa and Cagliari were very important, but we can't quit now.

"It won't be easy to guarantee our survival, it will be a tough fight all the way to the end."

Kamil Vacek, Luciano and Nicolas Frey are unlikely to feature due to injury but Davide Moscardelli and Rinaldo Cruzado are close to full fitness.

Chievo have not beaten Roma since December 2003, but the two sides have shared nine draws since then.

However, the Gialloblu have failed to score against the capital club since a 2-2 draw back in December 2010, with Moscardelli hitting the target on that occasion.