Roma coach Paulo Fonseca said it’s ‘not an advantage’ to play the Derby della Capitale against Lazio behind closed doors and confirmed Pedro is available.
The Giallorossi are third in Serie A ahead of the big game on Friday and have a six-point gap down to their local rivals at eighth.
Both games last term ended in 1-1 draws and the Portuguese coach underlined he has ‘never lost’ against the Aquile when he was asked about the winless streak against the Biancocelesti.
Roma coach Paulo Fonseca said it’s ‘not an advantage’ to play the Derby della Capitale against Lazio behind closed doors and confirmed Pedro is available.
The Giallorossi are third in Serie A ahead of the big game on Friday and have a six-point gap down to their local rivals at eighth.
Both games last term ended in 1-1 draws and the Portuguese coach underlined he has ‘never lost’ against the Aquile when he was asked about the winless streak against the Biancocelesti.
“But I haven’t even lost,” he said at a press conference. “We all know it’s an important match for everyone.
“We are playing for three points and we want to win.”
Roma are six points behind League leaders Milan and Fonseca said it’s important to have title ambitions but stressed La Lupa approach the season step by step.
“Ambitions must always be present, we can’t lack this,” Fonseca added. “We always want to win, but we are thinking about one game at a time.
“In the match against Inter, we finished growing. I think sometimes the psychological aspect affects us more.
“We are working on getting more and more continuity, we analysed Sunday’s game and I think the lads understood what it takes to always have the same intensity on the pitch.”
Fonseca pointed at Sergej Milinkovic-Savic and Luis Alberto as key members of the Lazio team.
“They have Milinkovic and Luis Alberto, who are very strong, as are their forwards. We have worked with both their team and their individuals in mind.
“The quick exit is one of the most evident characteristics in Italy, all the teams are strong.
“Lazio always come out strong on the counterattack, we worked on how to counter them.”
But the Giallorossi coach said it’s not an advantage to play the "away" game against the Aquile without fans in the stadium.
“It’s never an advantage to play without fans, we really want to go back to see the public in the stadiums.”
Fonseca concluded by confirming that Pedro Rodriguez is available for the derby on Friday.
“He’s fine, he’ll be called up.”