AS Roma vs US Sassuolo Calcio preview - Garcia keen to forget Torino
Posted Sunday, November 10, 2013 by PA
Roma coach Rudi Garcia has urged his players to forget last weekend's 1-1 draw at Torino and focus on getting maximum points against Sassuolo on Sunday.
The outcome in Turin ended Roma's perfect run and saw their lead at the top of Serie A cut to three points.
With nearest rivals Napoli and Juventus facing each other in Turin on Sunday, Garcia knows his team have an opportunity to extend the gap at the top of the standings.
"We must prepare and be ready to win our game against Sassuolo," Garcia said. "I hope we can then break away from Juventus or Napoli, maybe even both as a draw in Turin would be a good result for us.
"We have to forget about last Sunday's result at Torino.
"This is football and we can't win them all. A point away from home is not a bad result.
"I liked the way my team played because my players never gave up and even at the end, we went forward looking for the winner."
Alessandro Florenzi will lead Roma's attacking line with strikers Gervinho and Francesco Totti still on the sidelines.
The hosts will also be without defender Mehdi Benatia, who serves a one-match ban this weekend.
Rivals Sassuolo are aware of the task they face when they travel to the Stadio Olimpico to take on one of the strongest attacks and the best defence in Serie A.
Roma have scored 25 goals while they have conceded just twice this season.
"You could call it a mission impossible," Sassuolo captain Francesco Magnanelli said. "We are aware that we face the most in-form side in Italy.
"To say that we can beat Roma wouldn't be an intelligent comment.
"The fact is that we will have to suffer a lot and only through that suffering will we be able to take away a point home."
Sassuolo go into the encounter on the back of a 4-3 triumph at Sampdoria, their second win this season.
Domenico Berardi's hat-trick handed the promoted outfit its first ever victory on the road in Serie A.
Eusebio Di Francesco's side lies 18th in the standings, level on nine points with Sampdoria, who hold the last safety position.
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