Make it or brake it. The match with Porto (21 pm) could save Roma's season, or push it headlong towards bankruptcy. The judgment passes from the Estadio do Dragao and from that qualification for the quarterfinals which would restore oxygen to the team and, above all, to Di Francesco, once again on the gridiron after Saturday's derby. A beating that no one, anywhere near Trigoria, would have wanted to experience and which undermined the coach's bench even more than the 7-1 suffered in January by Fiorentina: that time Eusebio was saved thanks to a series of successes, however abruptly interrupted in the worst day.
"We've been lacking continuity for the whole season, in the derby we took the wrong approach and in the second half, when we were improving, we were also unlucky - Di Francesco said - Results are part of every coach's journey, after all I've been in discussion since I've been here. What bothers me is that they talk about me and not the team, I'm only thinking about getting through this round."
Beyond the customary denials, it is clear that today's match could have a huge impact on the coach's future: the rumors, which have never been denied, testify that Paulo Sousa and Panucci are ready to take over from him as early as tomorrow. But first there is a Champions League to play and here Roma have already shown that they can have their say about him. Sure, the 2-1 in the first leg doesn't leave you completely calm but it's still a good basis on which to build an intelligent match, in which scoring a goal could be decisive.
“The results show that we have done very well in the Champions League, we want to keep this competition close – continued Di Fra – It will be a long game, we will have to be good at defending the opening goal and restarting accordingly. I reiterate that it will be essential to do well in defense, the rest will come by itself."
In front, however, there will be a fierce opponent, ready to do anything to reach a qualification for the quarterfinals that would be worth a lot. Porto trusts a lot in its stadium and in the tactical ability of Sergio Conceiçao, one who has already done badly for Roma in his Lazio days.
"They have the third best attack in Serie A, so we'll have to be aggressive but also effective in defense - the Portuguese coach's recipe - We'll need to be patient, try to win the game without rushing, but if we play as we know how we can get to the quarterfinals" .
Both teams want to get through the round and will try to the best of their respective possibilities. Di Francesco will opt for a 4-3-3 with Olsen in goal, Florenzi, Manolas, Marcano (favorite over Fazio) and Kolarov in defense, Pellegrini, De Rossi and Cristante in midfield, Zaniolo (still in pain after a blow in the derby, should he not make it, Perotti is ready), Dzeko and El Shaarawy in attack.
The same game system also for Conceiçao, who will respond with Casillas between the posts, Militao, Pepe, Felipe and Telles in the back, Herrera, Danilo and Pereira in the midfield, Otavio, Brahimi and Marega in the offensive trident.
