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AS Roma kick-start their pre-season tour with a friendly game against Sunderland in neutral Portugal on Wednesday.
The Giallorossi, who finished in fifth place in Serie A last season, have been busy in the transfer market this summer, albeit mainly in terms of sales thus far.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Ainsley Maitland-Niles, Pau Lopez, Robin Olsen and Alessandro Florenzi have all left the club for either a new club or returned to their parent side after the end of their loan terms.
Nemanja Matic, Mile Svilar and Zeki Celic are the only players signed by the capital side so far this summer as Jose Mourinho aims to guide them back into the Champions League next year.
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Sunderland were promoted to the EFL Championship last season after four years in League One and have already begun their preparations ahead of life in the English second-tier.
The Black Cats played two games on July 2, winning both - a 4-0 victory over Blyth Spartans and a 2-0 win over Gateshead before seeing their match against Rangers get canceled.
AS Roma vs Sunderland Head-To-Head and Key Numbers
- The two sides have never faced each other in an official game.
- Mourinho has faced Sunderland nine times in his managerial career, winning six games and losing twice.
- Both his defeats against the Black Cats came while he was coach of Chelsea - a 2-1 defeat in the 2013-14 Carabao Cup and then a 2-1 loss at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League the same season.
- Mourinho last faced Sunderland on April 2017 - on that day, his Manchester United team beat the Tyne and Wear outfit 3-0 at the Stadium of Light.
AS Roma vs Sunderland Prediction
This will be Roma's first friendly game of the summer, making it difficult to predict what to expect from the Italians.
Although Mourinho is likely to field a largely B-team of youngsters, Sunderland could still have it rough.
The Black Cats will hope for an upset but the Serie A giants should be able to comfortably sneak through with a win.
Prediction: AS Roma 3-0 Sunderland
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AS Roma vs Sunderland Betting Tips
Tip 1 - Result: AS Roma
Tip 2 - Goals over/under 2.5: over 2.5
Tip 3 - Both teams to score: No
