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Serie A Betting: Roma v Torino Match Preview

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Who could ever replace Eric Morcambe? That's the question Dan Fitch asks himself as he ponders a game Roma must win to retain any hope of catching Inter in Serie A this season.

It is a dangerous thing to be too reliant on someone else. Ernie Wise was one half of Britain's most loved comedy double act. But when Eric Morecombe shouted 'Arsenal' for the last time and drifted off this mortal coil, Wise was left as a straight man without anyone to provide a punchline.

Rather than accepting retirement, Little Ern set out to form a new partnership, drafting in Bernie Winters as his funnyman. Alas, the world never got to see how funny Winters & Wise would have been, as before they ever got to make a performance together, Bernie Winters died too. At this point Ernie got the message and called it a day.

It is not just in the business that we call 'show', that an over reliance on an one man can be costly. In football it is one thing to have a star player that is the fulcrum of your team, but quite another to base the whole way that you play around one player. Some clubs of course, have little choice in the matter. Southampton in the nineties were always going to base their formation around the mercurial talents of Matt Le Tissier. But why would a team with greater resources find themselves so reliant on one player?

One such side are Roma, for whom Francesco Totti is the definition of a talismanic figure. Last weekend Totti suffered a terrible injury that will may keep him out for the start of next season. To make matters worse, Roma allowed Livorno to score a late equaliser, which probably brought an end to their hopes of winning Serie A.

On Sunday, Roma must pick themselves up from this disappointment when they host Torino. If you want to see Roma glumly going through the masquerade that they are still in with a chance of toppling Inter, then all the action can be seen on Betfair Live Video.

Totti was rushed back from injury and fell as he took a free kick against Livorno, tearing his knee ligaments. It was originally thought that Totti would be out for the next six months, though the party line is now that he has a chance of making the start of next season.

Roma play with a 4-3-3 formation, employing Totti as the central lone striker. But unlike most teams playing this way, Totti frequently drop back into midfield in search of the ball, allowing the central midfielders and wide attackers to make use of the space that he leaves. Manchester United play in a similar way when they use Rooney at the lone striker and despite all of the hyperbole that is often spouted regarding Ronaldo, it is Rooney that United most miss when absent.

It takes a special type of player to fill this role and though not blessed with many striking options, Roma do at least have an able deputy in Mirko Vucinic. The Montenegrin normally plays out wide or starts on the bench when Totti is available, so will relish a chance to start through the centre having scored in his last three games.

Totti has called for the club to bring in two strikers during the summer, hinting at a change in style for Roma. With Totti now thirty one and always liable to pick up an injury, a change in emphasis would make sense. Totti has also made it known that he is against Roma's proposed American takeover, but major investment may be the only way that Roma can bridge the gap on Inter within the short term.

Roma will also have Matteo Ferrari missing in defence, whilst Torino will be without their captain, Gianluca Comotto. Torino have slipped in recent weeks, having looked destined for a mid-table finish and now hover just four points outside of the relegation zone. They have a crunch match with Livorno coming up and are available at a healthy [3.9] to go down.

Roma aren't a bad price at [1.55], but Torino have drawn more away games than any other team in Italy and [4.0] for a draw appeals, with a Torino win [8.2]. This could be the weekend that Inter finally put Roma out of their misery.