Miralem Pjanic “still believes in second place” ahead of Roma’s showdown with Napoli. “It’ll be an open and attacking game.”
It kicks off on Monday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
Miralem Pjanic “still believes in second place” ahead of Roma’s showdown with Napoli. “It’ll be an open and attacking game.”
It kicks off on Monday at 14.00 UK time (13.00 GMT), click here for a match preview.
“Napoli are having a truly great season. The team plays in a very tight way, is well-organised and leaves few spaces. It is obvious they play very good football and it’s no coincident they’ve scored so many goals,” Pjanic told AS Roma Match Program.
“Napoli certainly won’t come to the Olimpico looking to defend themselves. Looking at how they played throughout the campaign, they never took a defensive approach.
“It will be an open and attacking game. We want to take this approach, but the important thing will be to win and they’ll feel the same way. Hopefully it’ll be an entertaining match, and naturally we come out winners.”
Gonzalo Higuain returns from a three-match ban, having scored 30 goals in just 31 Serie A games.
“Obviously what he’s doing this season is remarkable, of the highest quality,” continued Pjanic.
“His ban was reduced by one game so he can play against us, but that changes very little. Napoli are a very complete squad who have excellent replacements in all roles, proving themselves during his absence.
“You cannot deny his contribution will be felt in this match. It’ll be a battle all over the field and Napoli are really very strong. We will prepare for this game in the best way to ensure we are absolutely ready on Monday.”
As things stand, there are five points separating third-placed Roma from Napoli in second, but a home win would cut that to just two.
It’s a big difference, as second place guarantees direct access to the Champions League group phase, whereas third only qualifies a team for the preliminary round.
“We still believe in second place. Unfortunately we dropped points unexpectedly against Atalanta and Bologna. It was a complicated game with Torino, but at the end we managed to get all three points.
“At times winning with difficulty and snatching it at the end can give you even more strength and enjoyment. We are happy with the way the match went and it’ll help us prepare for Napoli.”
Francesco Totti came off the bench, equalised within 17 seconds and then completed his brace two minutes later for a 3-2 victory over Torino.
“It was an incredible night, above all for Checco, but also for all of us who at the end won a very important match,” continued Pjanic, using Totti’s nickname.
“What Totti has done over the last two games is truly magical. It’s madness! That night everything he touched turned to goals.
“Totti is Roma, so when you talk about Roma, you have to talk about Totti. I learned a lot from him and we are good friends. I hope all the things that have been said recently can be resolved as quickly as possible.”
Pjanic also lovingly mocked teammate Kostas Manolas after some poor set plays against Torino.
“It’s difficult to make him realise anything, as he’s got a thick skull. He thinks he takes good free kicks, so against Torino he wanted to take a couple, but perhaps he has now finally realised it’s best not to try again…”