Ahead of Roma's match with Porto in the Champions League, coach Eusebio Di Francesco spoke to the media about his expectations for his team's chances in the tournament, a year after finishing as semi-finalists. The giallorossi's coach also gave an update on some player availability will previewing the match:
"Champions League is my element? The road is always long but it's a great occasion to have a great match and inspire enthusiasm. Only Juve and us are left in the Champions League and so we must shoot for the best. Porto are more than individuals, they are a team. And they have won the most defensive challenges. It will be a very physical match. Manolas trained with the squad. Olsen is a doubt. Schick will miss the match with a muscle injury. All the other injured, including Perotti, we hope will be back for Bologna. Schick may not be ready for Bologna. Zaniolo's role? He could start on the right even, but I can't reveal the formation. Kluivert or Florenzi could fill that role. But it depends on the type of match that we want to play. We want to have legs and experience. We can't expect De Rossi to play forever, for example. Sometimes your legs can be feeling good but you falter in the face of difficulty. We must band together running and experience because only running is not an effective method."
Captain Daniele De Rossi also spoke to the media: "Kolarov? I feel like I have been pulled into the middle of this situation because I love the fans and I consider Kolarov a brother. The fans must believe me when I defend him because he is a great player and a professional. He lives for his shirt. He never misses a training and is on the pitch even when he is not 100% and not feeling good.
The match tomorrow with Porto is an important one. Porto is used to playing these types of matches, but even for us Champions League is a prestigious goal and after last year's competition we have gained experience. We were a bit unlucky last year, but worrying about the past is useless. My future? I will continue playing if I feel good. My teammates always speaking highly of me? I think them, but they don't realize that they are the reason why I give so much effort. They have made me feel important for so many moments in my career."
