Roma's Thomas Vermaelen: Starts in injury return Thursday

Vermaelen (hand) played the full 90 minutes in Thursday's Europa League tie versus Villarreal.

Analysis:

Vermaelen returns after a couple of weeks on the sidelines due to this latest ailment. He's barely featured (four starts in seven appearances) this season due to various injuries and with a fully healthy defensive line he may not be a lock to grab a second consecutive start in a pivotal derby.