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Former Roma defender Sebino Nela has revealed that he thinks Roma and Atalanta are the favourites to finish fourth in Serie A this season.
Nela made a total of 397 appearances for Roma across an 11-year spell, and was part of the only Giallorossi side to ever reach the European Cup final. And the 58-year-old believes more memorable European nights could be in store for Roma next season. Asked by Centro Suono Sport to predict who will finish fourth in the league and thus secure Italy's last Champions League spot for next season, Nela said: "Roma and Atalanta are the favourites for fourth place. Milan are struggling a lot and in the next round they will have a difficult engagement against Torino. "At this moment Atalanta, for fun and enthusiasm, and Roma, because they are strong individually, because they are practical and cynical, seem to me the two favourites for fourth place." Atalanta shocked Napoli on Monday evening by beating Carlo Ancelotti's side 2-1, a result which saw them take fifth place from Roma's grasp. Just one point separates the two sides, with Atalanta level on points with fourth-placed Milan, who still have to face Torino and Fiorentina away in their remaining fixtures. In contrast, Roma's hardest fixture will be a home match against champions Juventus, whom Atalanta also have left on their schedule. Atalanta and Milan are both also still in the Coppa Italia, something which could work in Roma's favour. Want more Roma news on your timeline? Like the new Giallorossi Yorkshire Facebook page!
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Former Roma striker Gabriel Batistuta has discussed the fortunes of the Giallorossi and Fiorentina ahead of their meeting at the weekend.
Batistuta played with distinction for both clubs, becoming Fiorentina's all-time top scorer in Serie A before helping Roma to their third Scudetto in 2001. The 49-year-old confirmed he still has a place in his heart for both teams. "Even today it [football] provokes emotions, especially the finals," he said. "Fiorentina and Roma were in my destiny. The first time I came to Italy to play the opponent was Roma at the Viareggio Tournament. A few years later I arrived at Fiorentina and then I went to Roma. It makes me pleased that Fiorentina wins, but also Roma. I'm a fan of Fiorentina, but I don't want the bad of Roma for this. "I was good in giallorosso, I spent two beautiful years in Rome, the Romans know that I feel at home in Florence. I am in harmony with both teams." Batistuta also spoke of current Roma striker Edin Dzeko, who has broken into the club's top ten all-time scorers recently. "He is a great football player, I do not have to advise him anything." On Roma's ambitions for the season in Europe, Batistuta made this claim: "It can exit the Champions League as well as win it. It's a great team, but has not had continuity so far. If it passes the group, it can be a trouble to any team." The Argentinian legend is expected to be in attendance for Saturday's match. Daniele De Rossi has become Roma’s all-time leading appearance maker in the Champions League.
The captain made his 58th appearance in the competition against Real Madrid on Wednesday night, which saw him overtake Francesco Totti. De Rossi played a key role in Roma’s run to the semi-finals last year, scoring a crucial penalty in the quarter-final win over Barcelona. In his 17 years as a Roma player, that was the furthest he has ever progressed in the competition. Only Totti has made more appearances in all competitions for Roma than De Rossi, who would have to play nearly 200 more times to become Roma’s all-time most-appeared player overall. Roma will face Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen in Group G of the Champions League this season.
The group features current holders Real Madrid, but the Giallorossi should be fairly confident of qualifying for the knockout stages. Roma made history in last season’s competition by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since it became the Champions League. Eusebio Di Francesco’s side beat the likes of Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona on their way to the last four, before being eliminated by Liverpool despite a valiant second leg fightback. This season, Roma were placed in pot 2 for the draw. The first match takes place week commencing 17th September - days after the home clash with Chievo Verona. Matchday two will take place in early October, following the first Derby Della Capitale of the season. Matchday 3 precedes a game against Napoli in October, while matchday 4 is sandwiched between games with Fiorentina and Sampdoria. Matchday 5 lies in the midweek before the home game against Inter. The group stage concludes week commencing 10th December, after a weekend league game against Cagliari. Di Francesco will be hoping his side can make another positive impression on the biggest European stage in what promises to be an exciting Champions League season. Roma's place in Pot 2 for the Champions League group stage draw has been confirmed after results in the qualifying rounds.
Roma needed PAOK to beat Basel to have their place in Pot 2 confirmed, and the Greek side delivered, winning 3-0 last night to confirm a 5-1 aggregate win. As a result, Roma will be in Pot 2 for next season's group stage, meaning they are likely to be drawn into an easier group than last year, when they came up against Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Qarabag. It's the first time Roma have been seeded as highly since 2010-11, when they finished 2nd in a group with Bayern Munich, Basel and CFR Cluj, before being eliminated by Shakhtar in the Round of 16. The result means Roma will avoid the likes of Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur in this season's group stages. Last season, Roma made history by progressing as far as the semi-finals, a club record since the competition was rebranded as the Champions League. Confirmed Pot 2 teams: AS Roma, Borussia Dortmund, FC Porto, Manchester United, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham Hotspur (final spot to be taken by either Benfica or Liverpool) Roma president James Pallotta has been banned for three months by UEFA following his comments after the club's Champions League semi-final second leg with Liverpool last season.
Roma won the game 4-2, but were still eliminated on aggregate. However, some suspect refereeing decisions went against Roma, which Pallotta was quick to point out thereafter. Eusebio Di Francesco's side were denied two clear penalties when Trent Alexander-Arnold handled the ball in the box, and Edin Dzeko was incorrectly ruled offside before being brought down in the area by Loris Karius. Had the two penalties been given - and converted - Roma would have been in the final. Pallotta described the refereeing in the game as "embarrassing" and "absolute j0ke", and also highlighted the need for VAR to be introduced to the competition. When the American found out he was under investigation for those words, he said he was "dying of laughter." His comments did not sit well with UEFA, and he has consequently been banned from attending any UEFA games for the next three months. Roma have also been fined €19,000 for setting off fireworks during the game, as well as "insufficient organisation" and blocked stairways. A statement on UEFA's website said the governing body had decided to "suspend the AS Roma official James Pallotta for three (3) months from carrying out his function during UEFA competition matches in which he would otherwise participate, starting from AS Roma’s first UEFA competition match of the 2018/2019 season. In particular, the official may not be in the technical area or communicate directly or indirectly with the team's players and/or technical staff during the match and may not enter the dressing room or tunnel before or during the match." The ban only applies for Champions League games. Roma have been fined for the crowd trouble that took place before the first leg of the Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.
Liverpool supporter Sean Cox was left in a critical condition after being attacked by two Italian men, who were arrested. UEFA have been issuing disciplinary punishments this week, and Roma have been hit after the events in April. The club has been fined €50,o00 and banned from selling away tickets for two European matches - the second of which has been postponed under a two-year probationary period. Therefore, for the first away game in the group stages of next season's Champions League, the away section will be closed to Roma fans. Liverpool will also be dealt with at a later date for their role in the crowd disturbances over the fixtures. They have already been fined €20,000 for their attack on the Manchester City team bus in the previous round, and €9,000 f0r setting off fireworks at both City's Etihad Stadium and Stadio Olimpico. Roma will come up against one of the strongest sides in the world in the Champions League quarter finals, with Barcelona the opponents.
The draw for the last eight took place in Nyon this morning. Roma reached the stage after beating Shakhtar Donetsk on away goals. The first leg against Barcelona takes place at Camp Nou on 4th April, with Roma hosting the second leg six days later. The two sides have faced each other in the Champions League before. In 2015, Roma lost 6-1 away in the group stages. Prior to that, at home, the sides drew 1-1, with a memorable Alessandro Florenzi goal taking the headlines. Spotting Marc-Andre Ter Stegen off his line, the full back let fly from close to the half way line, scoring one of the best goals seen at the Olimpico in recent years. The tie will see returns to the Olimpico for former Roma players Lucas Digne and Thomas Vermaelen. There couldn't have been many more difficult draws for Roma, but at this stage of the competition, every game is going to be a challenge. Roma will need to play to their maximum potential over the two legs in the hope of securing an upset. Roma will face Shakhtar Donetsk in the Round of 16 of the Champions League.
Roma were one of the eight top seeds for the draw after topping Group C, with three wins, two draws and one defeat. As first seed, Roma will be away to the Ukrainians in the first leg (in February), and home in the second leg (in March). Roma will be hoping to match their best ever Champions League standings, having reached the quarter finals on two separate occasions. Yesterday Roma found out who their opponents will be in the Champions League group stage.
Francesco Totti drew the teams out of the pot, on the same night he was presented with the UEFA President's Award, and could not conceal his smile when he picked out Roma from pot three. Former AC Milan striker Andriy Shevchenko then allocated the group Roma would be in - Group C. That means Roma will face Premier League champions Chelsea, Spanish heavyweights Atletico Madrid, and Azerbaijani side Qarabag. Of course, the draw could have been kinder to Roma upon their return to the group stages of the illustrious competition. Antonio Conte's Chelsea are a well drilled side, and the same can certainly be said for Diego Simeone's Atletico Madrid, who have reached the final of this competition twice in the past four seasons. As for Qarabag, Roma will be expected to pick up all the points, but facing a round trip of over 6000km for the away tie always has its difficulties. Roma will need to raise their game for these fixtures in the hope of qualifying for the knockout stages. On the plus side, having drawn an English side, there will be a chance for visitors of this site to watch Roma live this season. |
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