Bologna assistant manager Emilio De Leo assures they will be “cocky to a healthy degree” against Roma, as both sides play without fear.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
Once again, Sinisa Mihajlovic hands over the reins to his staff, as he is undergoing chemotherapy, but the squad stopped the team bus under his hospital window to salute him after their comeback from 3-1 down to beat Brescia 4-3.
Bologna assistant manager Emilio De Leo assures they will be “cocky to a healthy degree” against Roma, as both sides play without fear.
It kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
Once again, Sinisa Mihajlovic hands over the reins to his staff, as he is undergoing chemotherapy, but the squad stopped the team bus under his hospital window to salute him after their comeback from 3-1 down to beat Brescia 4-3.
“I think the experience of that game can help us to grow,” said De Leo in his Press conference.
“It’s a process that began with Mihajlovic’s arrival in January and is continuing. We knew that we had to start against Brescia with a different attitude and more concentration, but when we were in the situation where we had to get back on our feet, we found ourselves again. It’s important that we can change gear when things aren’t going well.”
Roma represent a tougher prospect, fresh from a 4-2 win over Sassuolo and 4-0 demolition of Istanbul Basaksehir in the Europa League.
“Bologna must be cocky to a healthy degree. For a young and courageous squad, there has to be an element of cockiness, naturally without forgetting the quality of the opponents, but always aware of our own strengths.
“The problem against Brescia was that we weren’t all focused on the here and now. If we don’t have enough pressure on us, we tend to get stretched out and distracted.
“We don’t have a problem with playing lots of attacking figures, but we must also maintain a tactical balance. Starting with four strikers and Roberto Soriano in midfield would be too arrogant and unbalanced, but it can be used during a game when we’re trailing.
“Roma have a great deal of quality, an international Coach in Paulo Fonseca, the desire to dominate the game and no fear of defending in wide open spaces.
“As Mihajlovic said during the week, we must defend well and be resilient, know how to stick together and be compact. That’s when we can let our attacking abilities make their mark.
“We feel the enthusiasm of the fans and have the opportunity to set a new club record with nine consecutive home victories. It’s a big test and we can prove how far we’ve come, the level we have reached. We’re feeling very confident.”