Rudi Garcia has warned Sassuolo that his Roma side are desperate to get back to winning ways after the 1-1 draw at Torino.
The Giallorossi had won their opening 10 games of the campaign before being held in Turin last weekend.
Rudi Garcia has warned Sassuolo that his Roma side are desperate to get back to winning ways after the 1-1 draw at Torino.
The Giallorossi had won their opening 10 games of the campaign before being held in Turin last weekend.
“I saw an angry team at the end of the Torino game,” the Frenchman noted on Friday. “The guys are so keen to win that they were already thinking about Sassuolo after the match on Sunday.
“I was really pleased with how we did in the last few minutes at Torino. The players ran over to take throw-ins and played quickly without wasting time, to have a few extra minutes.
“This is a good sign for me as the Coach and for the squad – I really liked this attitude.”
Roma could extend their three-point lead at the top this weekend as Juventus and Napoli, who are in joint-second, will face each other.
“Those are the standings and I'm happy with them,” Garcia added. “We're top at the moment and we want to stay there.
“The Sassuolo game won't be easy on Sunday and I hope it will be very tough for them to come to the Olimpico.
“The Scudetto candidates? I think all of the sides in the top half of the table have done very well so far.
“Juve and Napoli are the favourites and have squads built to play in both the Champions League and Serie A.
“Behind them though lie Inter, Fiorentina and Verona who are playing well and securing big results. You can't rule anyone out for the moment.”
Although the club are still without injured captain Francesco Totti, the attacking duo of Mattia Destro and Gervinho are on the way back from fitness issues.
“It's important that Destro is back training with the squad and I'm very happy about that. Now he needs to focus on his fitness and get a feel for the ball again.
“Luckily we now have the international break and he will have two weeks to work hard – I hope he can be back soon to help out the team.
“Gervinho is a lot better and he's now running on the field. We'll see how he is tomorrow and we'll try to have him in the squad for Sunday. If that's the case, I'll have no issues with him going away with the national team.
“Thankfully the Ivory Coast head Coach is intelligent and we've spoken to one another – it's very important for us not to risk him suffering another injury.”