Edin Dzeko lists his respect for Roma and hopes Francesco Totti ‘won't score again’ against his Manchester City.
The two teams face off in the final matchday of the Champions League group stage both looking for the right result to take them into the Last 16.
Dzeko, asked before the game which player he was most concerned about at Roma, had no doubts in pointing to the Giallorossi captain Francesco Totti.
“What else can be said about Francesco? He's a great friend of mine, one of the greats in the history of football.
Edin Dzeko lists his respect for Roma and hopes Francesco Totti ‘won't score again’ against his Manchester City.
The two teams face off in the final matchday of the Champions League group stage both looking for the right result to take them into the Last 16.
Dzeko, asked before the game which player he was most concerned about at Roma, had no doubts in pointing to the Giallorossi captain Francesco Totti.
“What else can be said about Francesco? He's a great friend of mine, one of the greats in the history of football.
“The way he plays is marvellous, and so are the goals that he keeps scoring.
“I just hope he doesn't score against us again.”
The City striker admitted having respect for the Roma collective and believes his team will need to be at their best to beat them.
“They are a major team, we'll need a great performance to beat them. It's impossible to make calculations or speculate on the draw. If we don't score, we're out.”
The English side will have to play without striker Sergio Aguero, who has been ruled out of the game with a knee injury, while Dzeko himself only recently returned to the pitch after trouble with his calf.
“Sergio is fundamental for us, you just have to look at his numbers.
“But David Silva is back. And as for me, I had never been out so long, these weeks have been hard.
“I'm glad to be here, I'll still need a few games to be at my top, but I'm looking forwards and I only think about my job – scoring goals.
“Roma's fans and their stadium are exceptional. We'll encounter a special atmosphere, but this is the salt of football and these are the games every player wants to be part of.
“I have played many, but I'd say this is the most important.”
Roma play Manchester City at the Stadio Olimpico tonight at 20:45 Italian time.