Just under a month until the end of the season to confirm the comeback established with De Rossi on the bench. Because if the championship ended today, Roma would be fifth and therefore in the Champions League, but there are still five championship matches ahead of them plus two Europa League matches which everyone in Trigoria hopes will become three with the final in Dublin. “I started three months ago and if they had told me that we would be fifth, four points behind Atalanta and six from Lazio I would have signed up knowing where we were starting from”, De Rossi’s words on the eve of the match against Napoli. The first of a tour de force which will then see the Giallorossi face in order: Bayer Leverkusen, Juventus, the Germans again and Atalanta. The future, as well as the season, of the club is played out in these five matches. Starting tomorrow at Maradona where, according to De Rossi, at least in terms of squad values, there is the only team “close to the strength of Inter despite having had some more difficulties this year”. The Roma coach, then, doesn’t want distractions after the success in Udine. “A victory that helps, but we must not feel relaxed – said the coach – We have rekindled the Champions League race making it something possible, but the finish line is still difficult if we look at the calendar”. In fact, between now and the match against Atalanta on the weekend of May 12th, there will all be direct clashes with just a few days to prepare, but De Rossi’s imperative is “let’s not feel sorry for ourselves”.
Meanwhile, there were four absences against Napoli, those of Lukaku and Smalling due to injury (they will try to recover for Thursday) and finally those of Paredes and Llorente due to disqualification. Ndicka, however, is back among the squad. “Evan is fine, he trained and made me understand that he feels fit. He is not afraid of tackles and is back as a 100% player. He and Mancini will have a good duel with Osimhen” – explained De Rossi, thus also announcing the ownership of the Ivorian. In the starting eleven, then, there will also be Bove who will take the place of the suspended Paredes, while up front the trident should be the one made up of Dybala, Abraham and El Shaarawy. “The Tammy-Azmoun solution seen in Udine is interesting and repeatable in moments in which you have to score goals at all costs”, statements, those of De Rossi, which suggest a relay for the two attackers, with the Englishman from the start and the Iranian ready to enter the race. Dybala’s playing time was also studied and, with the match against Bayer a few days later, it cannot be ninety minutes.