GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma return from the international break on Sunday with a home clash against rivals Napoli.
The Giallorossi will be looking to make it two home wins out of two under Claudio Ranieri, but the general mood is low following a 2-1 away loss to SPAL before the break. In Napoli, Roma come up against a side who are much more comfortable in the race for Champions League qualification. Carlo Ancelotti's side are second in the table, 13 points ahead of fifth-placed Roma. However, like the Lupi, Napoli could also be said to have fallen short of their targets this season. An even greater 15 points separate them from league leaders Juventus, and after last season's effort, the Partenopei will surely have wanted to have mounted a stronger challenge. Nonetheless, they go into Sunday afternoon's fixture as favourites, with Roma still suffering a number of injuries and struggling for form. In view of the matchup, here are three key points from Ranieri's pre-match press conference on Friday. Olsen to be given vote of confidence Goalkeeper Robin Olsen has come in for a lot of criticism recently thanks to a series of errors, with fans growing less confident in him with every passing game. However, despite the calls for Antonio Mirante to be given the starting berth in goal, it appears that Ranieri will stick with the Swede for Sunday - and the remainder of the season. "I think Robin is an excellent goalkeeper," revealed the coach. "I was keeping tabs on him even before he joined Roma. He has my full confidence.” Manolas may not be risked The international break has given key defender Kostas Manolas the chance to recuperate from a minor injury, and the Greek should be back in the squad for Sunday's encounter. However, with an eye on the midweek fixture against Fiorentina, Ranieri may not start him and put him at risk of being out for longer. “I have a number of players who are close to returning. Kostas will train with us today. They all want to play and show they're available in this tough spell so that's great news. It's up to me to make the calls. He's told me he wants to play but I want to assess everything carefully.” Time to move on from the Dzeko-El Shaarawy feud The loss to SPAL was overshadowed by a reported fall-out between attackers Edin Dzeko and Stephan El Shaarawy. However, Ranieri has insisted that the feud is a thing of the past, and that both are ready to give their maximum for Roma again. "What happened between El Shaarawy and Dzeko is the normal sort of thing that happens in every family. It's all sorted now and that's the main thing.” The coach also confirmed that the decision to take El Shaarawy off at half-time in Ferrara was purely tactical, and not in relation to the dispute. “The lads are used to playing 4-3-3 and I'd asked the wide players to do something a bit different in a 4-4-2. It was a tactical change at the start of the second half, unrelated to the disagreement they had.” However, El Shaarawy will not be involved on Sunday due to a calf injury picked up on international duty. Expected lineup: Olsen, Karsdorp, Fazio, Jesus, Santon, Zaniolo, Nzonzi, Cristante, Perotti, Dzeko, Schick Kick-off time: 2pm GMT, 31/3/19 UK viewing details: Free Sports (from 1:55pm)
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samuel bannister
Founder and editor of Giallorossi Yorkshire, who is also a columnist for Roma's official website about the women's team. Categories
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October 2019
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