Italy Coach Giampiero Ventura believes tonight’s top of the table clash with Juventus can be “the moment Roma become a great team.”
It kicks off tonight at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“This is a game that will be good for Italian football,” Ventura told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
Italy Coach Giampiero Ventura believes tonight’s top of the table clash with Juventus can be “the moment Roma become a great team.”
It kicks off tonight at 19.45 GMT, click here for a match preview.
“This is a game that will be good for Italian football,” Ventura told La Gazzetta dello Sport.
“Lately it has been rare to see a game at this level with two so evenly-matched teams. It’s not just first against second, but also the match that possibly blows open the Scudetto race.
“If there isn’t a draw, then the result will make a big difference: a one-point advantage would be nothing, but at seven points clear Juve would already be the Winter Champions.”
How would Ventura approach a fixture like this?
“Tactical approaches will be crucial. Only when facing a far inferior team can individual quality ever hope to be enough. As a neutral spectator, I’ve been impressed with Max Allegri’s Juventus. Their first half-hour against Atalanta was perhaps their best performance of the season and the response of a great team.
“That’s what this game means to Roma – the moment they could become a great team. Even aside from the result, a great performance is necessary.
“What do people say of those chasing Juve? That they need to acquire the clinical edge of the Bianconeri. These are elements that develop along the way if you believe blindly in what you are doing.”
Who will be decisive at the Juventus Stadium this evening?
“His return in the Turin Derby showed Paulo Dybala is one of the few players who can change a game. Mohamed Salah allows Roma to do certain ‘unique’ things. Without him, there are many who can be decisive.
“As for the centre-forwards, it’s about certainty and uncertainty. Gonzalo Higuain is well-known, we are all aware of what he is and can do. But Edin Dzeko? Has he already given his best? We don’t know, he might have other qualities we don’t know about yet.”