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
SSC Napoli
12
8
2
2
19
9
+10
26
2
Atalanta
12
8
1
3
31
15
+16
25
3
Fiorentina
12
7
4
1
25
10
+15
25
4
Inter Milan
12
7
4
1
26
14
+12
25
5
Lazio
12
8
1
3
25
14
+11
25
6
Juventus
12
6
6
0
21
7
+14
24
7
AC Milan
11
5
3
3
20
14
+6
18
8
Bologna
11
4
6
1
15
13
+2
18
9
Udinese
12
5
1
6
15
18
-3
16
10
Empoli
12
3
6
3
9
10
-1
15
11
Torino
12
4
2
6
15
18
-3
14
12
Roma
12
3
4
5
14
17
-3
13
13
Parma
12
2
6
4
16
18
-2
12
14
Verona
12
4
0
8
17
27
-10
12
15
Como
12
2
4
6
13
23
-10
10
16
Cagliari
12
2
4
6
12
22
-10
10
17
Genoa
12
2
4
6
9
22
-13
10
18
Lecce
12
2
3
7
5
21
-16
9
19
Monza
12
1
5
6
10
15
-5
8
20
Venezia
12
2
2
8
11
21
-10
8
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