Gabriele Maltinti/Getty ImagesCoppa hero Mattia Destro hopes to continue his goal-scoring ways in Serie A versus Inter.

2013 was finally (finally!) kind to Roma. All it took was an entire front line missing, a new formation, and a different competition. Not bad, right?

It could be worse. We could be Fiorentina in 2013.

The one-legged Coppa Italia quarterfinal away at Vincenzo Montella's side was far from pretty. It was, in many ways, one of the more boring matches Roma have played all season, without much attacking impetus and once again, desperately lacking finishing. Paradoxically, it was also a fascinating game; a rematch of a 4-2 thriller from earlier in the season. It was an occasion for Mattia Destro to silence his critics, an opportunity for Roma to break a losing streak and a rare occasion to see Zdenek Zeman trot out a new formation. By my count, only one of these was truly successful.

- Match report: Fiorentina 0-1 Roma

Roma's 3-4-3 was tactically intriguing, brought on by a rash of absences from Erik Lamela, Pablo Osvaldo (both suspended) and Francesco Totti (injured). In response, Zeman played all three of Roma's centre-backs (with Alessio Romagnoli also injured), pushed Federico Balzaretti and Ivan Piris into the midfield, and slotted Alessandro Florenzi and Miralem Pjanic further forward.

The result? It worked. Thanks to a combination of very solid defending, decent goalkeeping, and the upright, Roma kept a nearly full-strength Fiorentina side from scoring. It took 97 minutes but Destro managed to break the deadlock after some fantastic Roma passing, though his continued profligacy in front of net will have some tifosi worried. Nevertheless, a win is a win -- the first for Roma in 2013 -- and the side are now set to face Inter three times in 10 days.

The first of those matches is at home in Serie A tomorrow. In truth, it's probably too late for Roma to begin a serious push for a Champions League spot -- Napoli are ten points ahead in third -- but a win is nevertheless vital to maintain momentum following the Fiorentina victory, push to finish in a European spot (fifth is only four points away) and to help keep Inter within distance. If Roma are to have any hopes of a Champions League place (which, again, they probably don't at this point), the teams in front of them have to drop points. What better way to make up ground than directly?

Inter will be missing Diego Milito and Antonio Cassano for the clash, although their in-form striker, Rodrigo Palacio, has made the cut. The side are dealing with an enormous rash of injuries: Yuto Nagatomo, Dejan Stankovic, Ricky Alvarez, Walter Samuel, and Philippe Coutinho have all been ruled out for the match as well. The Nerazzurri have barely been more consistent than Roma since defeating Napoli in early December; they've lost to Lazio, tied Genoa, lost to Udinese, and beat Pescara. Needless to say, they need the win as well to maintain their own hopes of a Champions League place.

Roma should be much more back to full strength for this tie, which will probably see the return of the 4-3-3. Totti and Lamela will return -- the former's creativity has been sorely missing since his injury -- although Osvaldo remains sidelined with his knee problem. Maarten Stekelenburg is even more unlikely to play than usual with his agent stating today that he could transfer by the end of the month. The real question is, as ever: will Daniele De Rossi or Panagiotis Tachtisidis start?

In any case, a win is vital. Roma don't have to win all three matches against Inter, but to keep hopes of a strong season finish alive, finishing on top of the Coppa tie on aggregate is certainly a priority. Form seems to be on the side of Zeman. Roma have won their last four home matches and Inter have lost their last four away matches, failing to score in three of those.

It's simple, then. Roma just need to keep that form alive. What could possibly go wrong?

Roma Predicted XI: Goicoechea; Balzaretti, Castan, Marcos, Piris; Pjanic, De Rossi/Tachtsidis, Florenzi; Lamela, Destro, Totti.

Inter Predicted XI: Handanovic; Juan Jesus, Chivu, Ranocchia; Periera, Cambiasso, Gargano, Zanetti; Guarin; Palacio, Rocchi.

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