Roma coach says squad must be clinical against Barçelona

Sports |  IANS  | Published :

Rome  :  Roma chief coach Eusebio Di Francesco said on Monday that his team must work hard to defeat FC Barcelona in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Roma are set to host Barçelona on Tuesday in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-finals after losing the first leg 1-4 against the Catalan football giants, reports Efe.

"We must play with passion, heart and belief right up until the final whistle if we want to do the unthinkable. We have a duty to give it everything," the coach said at a press conference on the eve of the match.

Di Francesco acknowledged that Barcelona is a strong side, but insisted his team must play with maximum commitment to overturn the result of the first leg.

"I don't know what our percentage chance of qualifying is -- ultimately, it depends on us. We have to be more clinical and believe that we can hurt Barcelona," he reiterated.

Roma are to have the support of almost 70,000 fans on Tuesday, so the Italian coach encouraged his team to offer a good performance and restore the fans' confidence in the squad.

"The crowd will be our 12th man, but it's up to us to get them going," Di Francesco stressed.

The coach added that winger Cengiz Under has recovered and is to be included in the list of players called up for the second leg, while injured winger Diego Perotti is to be sidelined.








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