Jose Mourinho assures ‘this is a different’ Roma squad to the one that lost 6-1 against Bodo/Glimt in October and he promises not to use the artificial pitch as ‘an excuse’ for the Conference League clash.
The first leg of the quarter-final kicks off in Norway on Thursday at 20.00 UK time (19.00 GMT).
It is the same stadium and artificial turf where Roma were crushed 6-1 by Bodo/Glimt in the group phase back in October.
Since then, the Norwegians have eliminated Celtic FC and AZ Alkmaar, while the Giallorossi got the better of Vitesse, but they meet again.
“I am happy to be back here and hope it goes better than last time,” smiled Mourinho in his press conference.
“I always said I don’t like artificial turf, as football is either played on grass or it is a different sport. Having said that, we have no excuses this time, there are two games and we want to reach the semi-final.
“We have respect for Bodo, because they proved that they are a great team at the Stadio Olimpico too.”
These sides drew 2-2 in Rome in the group phase, yet Roma ended up topping the group and therefore going straight into the Round of 16.
That 6-1 result in Norway proved to be a turning point for the Giallorossi, as Mourinho scrapped many of the players involved, either selling them in January or dropping them down the pecking order.
“It will be a different match compared to October, as many players are no longer here, like Bryan Reynolds, Gonzalo Villar, Borja Mayoral, etc,” added Mourinho.
“We are a different team and we want to play the semi-final. It was a drama in October, because losing 6-1 is more than just a defeat.
“As for Bodo, they changed a few players too, but their profile is very similar, they have the same ideas about football. We are much stronger than before and I hope that will make the difference.”
Roma and Atalanta, who face RB Leipzig in the Europa League quarter-final, are the only Italian sides remaining in Europe.
Naturally, Mourinho used this fact to cast a cloud over the Serie A race for a top four finish.
“It’s disappointing, I wish other Italian clubs were doing well in Europe. It’d certainly help us if Inter and Napoli were to have European competition to think about too.”
#ConferenceLeague | #BodoRoma, la conferenza di #Mourinhohttps://t.co/yktXEnkCK9
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) April 6, 2022