Football Previews
Roma coach Rudi Garcia is not going to panic ahead of Wednesday’s game at Sassuolo despite his team’s precarious hold on third place in the Serie A standings. A top-three finish is required to have a chance of playing in next season’s Champions League. The sides that come in first and second will qualify directly for the competition. Garcia’s team lost 2-1 at Inter Milan on Saturday and sit just two points clear of Napoli after winning just two of their last 10 league games. However, the French tactician is not looking behind at Napoli but ahead of Lazio, who are one-point clear of them in second place with six games remaining. “In the changing room they know that it’s in our hands,” Garcia said to the Italian media. “We believe we can finish second and that is why I want a win tomorrow. “We know what we have to do and we will fight until the end to achieve it.” Lack of goalscoring has been Roma’s biggest problem with the Giallorossi having failed to score more than one goal in a league game since February 8. “We need to be more clinical and more efficient, ” Garcia said. “We must look ahead and do better in our remaining games, starting at Sassuolo.” Sassuolo, who held Roma to a 2-2 draw at the Stadio Olimpico earlier this season, go into the encounter without their top scorer Domenico Berardi. Berardi, who has struck 11 goals in 27 league appearances, must serve a one-match ban on Wednesday. Sassuolo are also without the services of defenders Marcelo Gazzola, Cesare Natali, Luca Antei, Emmanuele Terranova and Sime Vrsaljko, all sidelined through injury. “We have a few absences, especially in defence,” Sassuolo coach Eusebio Di Francesco said. “But I don’t want any excuses. “We need to have the right approach to do well against Roma.” Sassuolo are 15th in the standings after Sunday’s 3-2 defeat at Hellas Verona which extended their winless run to three games. The Emilia-Romagna club is 12 points clear of the drop zone.
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Team
MP
W
D
L
F
A
G
P
1
Atalanta
17
13
1
3
42
19
+23
40
2
SSC Napoli
17
12
2
3
26
12
+14
38
3
Inter Milan
16
11
4
1
42
15
+27
37
4
Lazio
17
11
1
5
32
24
+8
34
5
Fiorentina
16
9
4
3
29
13
+16
31
6
Juventus
17
7
10
0
28
13
+15
31
7
Bologna
16
7
7
2
23
18
+5
28
8
AC Milan
16
7
5
4
25
16
+9
26
9
Udinese
17
7
2
8
21
26
-5
23
10
Roma
17
5
4
8
23
23
+0
19
11
Empoli
17
4
7
6
16
19
-3
19
12
Torino
17
5
4
8
17
22
-5
19
13
Genoa
17
3
7
7
14
26
-12
16
14
Lecce
17
4
4
9
11
29
-18
16
15
Parma
17
3
6
8
23
33
-10
15
16
Como
17
3
6
8
18
30
-12
15
17
Verona
17
5
0
12
21
40
-19
15
18
Cagliari
17
3
5
9
16
28
-12
14
19
Venezia
17
3
4
10
17
30
-13
13
20
Monza
17
1
7
9
15
23
-8
10
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