But I’m not going to use three of my players to close him down.’ – AFP picROME, Feb 16 – Roma coach Luciano Spalletti said he won’t sacrifice players in a bid to shut down the threat of Cristiano Ronaldo when they host Real Madrid in the first leg of their Champions League last 16 tie. “And one that can make the difference between Real Madrid and other teams”.
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Roma now sit fourth in the Italian top flight, and their home record this season is relatively strong, with the side from the Italian capital only losing one of the 16 competitive fixtures they have played at the Olimpico this term.
“The last time I took out Real I had a stable Roma, with a tried-and-tested system that had already produced results”.
Los Blancos were victorious in five of their six matches in the group stage, with the only match they failed to win a scoreless draw versus second-placed Paris Saint-Germain (13 points) back in October.
No Champions League match is easy, although Roma have their own problems.
Zinedine Zidane: “Mistakes are always going to happen, but I’m not anxious about them”.
Spalletti has overseen a mini revival at Roma since replacing Rudi Garcia as coach on January 14, winning four league games and losing only once.
“I don’t think so”, the Roma coach said when asked whether Ronaldo is a fading force. The Spanish league too, but that title no longer depends only on them.
Modric singled out Carlo Ancelotti as his favorite coach at Madrid, but the Croatian’s fabulous long-range strike six minutes from time against Granada clinched a 2-1 win for Zidane’s team on February 7. I expect a huge Roma fan base cheering the Roma to victory here and we are getting a great price with it.
Although Welsh winger Gareth Bale remains sidelined with a calf strain, Real welcomed left-back Marcelo, who missed a 4-2 win over Athletic Bilbao at the weekend due to a a dislocated shoulder, back to their matchday squad.
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“We’re Real Madrid, and for me, we’ve got the best defenders in the world”, said Benzema.
