Eusebio Di Francesco said Roma are sticking with the 4-2-3-1 formation and wants more “belief” in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The first leg in the Champions League Round of 16 kicks off on Wednesday at 19.45 GMT.
“Over the course of a game, we must avoid dips and troughs, giving a sense of consistency to our work. We must be concentrated and compact,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
Eusebio Di Francesco said Roma are sticking with the 4-2-3-1 formation and wants more “belief” in the Champions League against Shakhtar Donetsk.
The first leg in the Champions League Round of 16 kicks off on Wednesday at 19.45 GMT.
“Over the course of a game, we must avoid dips and troughs, giving a sense of consistency to our work. We must be concentrated and compact,” said the Coach in his Press conference.
“We raised the tempo of our training sessions considerably so we could be ready for the final push this season, which begins with this game. That means running a few risks, but also putting fuel in the tank.
“It’s crucial that we have more belief and conviction both when attacking and defending.”
Alessandro Florenzi was meant to be in the Press conference rather than Daniele De Rossi, but pulled out due to a stomach bug.
“Florenzi isn’t well, so he remained in the hotel. As things stand, he’s not available to play. We’ll see what happens tomorrow.”
Turkish talent Cengiz Under has hit the headlines with his four goals and an assist in three games.
“Under has done extraordinary things lately, but I prefer to talk about the team rather than individuals. We are all very happy that he’s in this remarkable moment of form and will try to make the most of it. However, if you want me to tell you he’ll definitely start, then you’re not getting an answer. I want everyone to stay on their toes and feel they are participating in the match.”
Shakhtar Donetsk knocked Napoli out of the Champions League, but Roma finished ahead of Chelsea and Atletico Madrid.
“We earned our place in the Round of 16 and will do all we can to make the most of it. We are up against a Shakhtar Donetsk side with a lot of quality and more experience than we do in knockout rounds at this level. It’s 50-50 and we’ll try to bring home a positive result.”
The Giallorossi have turned a corner since moving to the new 4-2-3-1 formation rather than 4-3-3.
“Both systems can be used and varied during a game. We’ll try to give consistency to what we’ve been doing lately and that means using the same system.”
Roma were eliminated by Shakhtar Donetsk in 2010-11.
“I didn’t watch those back, because they were too long ago to be relevant. I saw many of their recent performances and was very impressed by the current Shakhtar side. The level of Ukrainian football has grown since then.”