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German champs Bayern to test Roma’s ambitions
German champs Bayern to test Roma’s ambitions
Roma’s captain Francesco Totti (centre) runs with teammates during a training session at the Trigoria ground of Rome. (AFP)
DPA/Rome
The going truly gets tough for Roma when they welcome German title holders and 2013 European champions Bayern Munich to the Italian capital for their second Champions League home game of the season.
The Giallorossi are back in the elite tournament after three seasons and had reason to worry when they were drawn in Group E alongside national champions Manchester City, CSKA Moscow and Bayern.
But things look encouraging after two games as they sit second on four points, two behind Bayern, after hammering the Russians 5-1 and drawing 1-1 away in Manchester.
The squad steered by Rudi Garcia looks more solid than last year and had a brisk start in the domestic league with five consecutive wins.
They crashed 3-2 at champions Juventus in early October, but Frenchman Garcia tried to boost to the team’s morale last week, saying that Roma played a great game in Turin.
“I saw a strong Roma, possibly stronger than Juve and I understood that this season we will win the (Serie A) scudetto,” Garcia said. “I am certain about this. We are stronger than the Bianconeri and will show it on the pitch.”
The effect of the speech was shown at the weekend as Roma hammered lowly Chievo 3-0, closing the game in the first half hour with forwards Mattia Destro, Adem Ljajic and Francesco Totti on target.
“I trust my players at 100 per cent. We saw their quality (against Chievo),” Garcia said. “All those playing up front scored, answering on the pitch, which was the only thing to do. It was an important game for us, the first in a run with many games in a few days.”
The fast Ivory Coast winger Gervinho is back at the Stadio Olimpico after a game off and the 38-year-old captain Totti is to play as usual for about an hour, possibly giving way to Alessandro Florenzi, while midfielder Seydou Keita and forward Juan Iturbe, both new signings, are out with injury.
Captain Totti said that beating Chievo after a break for international games allowed the squad to resume the pace they had before losing to Juve, while Garcia tempered his determination with praise for his Bayern colleague Pep Guardiola.
“I knew that Pep did not take an easy path when he went (from Barcelona) to Bayern,” Garcia said. “He is a great coach, who has done and will do very well.
“I heard people say that at Barcelona he had very strong players and that the team’s game was not his merit.
“I think he is the secret behind the quality of the game of his teams.”