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Roma return to the pitch Sunday evening following their midweek defeat to Feyenoord in the first leg of their Europa League tie.
The Giallorossi host an up-and-down Udinese side at the Stadio Olimpico, which will be packed as tickets for the game are nearly sold out.
Jose Mourinho will be faced with selection dilemmas for the clash after losing Paulo Dybala and Tammy Abraham during Thursday’s defeat. Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini also sustained a minor knock in the midweek fixture but he’s expected to be ready to play from the start.
Meanwhile, Udinese arrive in the Italian capital in rollercoaster form. Just before the international break last month, the Friulian side stunned Milan by winning 1-0.
Since returning to play, Andrea Sottil’s side fell 3-0 to Bologna before drawing last weekend against Monza.
“In front of a full crowd at the Olimpico, with three crucial points up for grabs, we need no extra motivation going into this game,” Sottil told the media during his pre-match press confeeence.
“I’m in no doubt that my boys will be up for it, playing with personality and courage. We’ve worked hard as usual this week and gone into the finest details.”
He also revealed which of the players from his side could make the biggest impact against the Giallorossi.
“For me, Roberto Pereyra is crucial because of his tactical experience, quality and creativity. As our captain, he’s a great leader and is always ready to give out advice,” confessed Sottil.
“He’s like a coach on the pitch. Lazar Samardzic is developing a lot. He stills needs to improve in head-to-heads, tackling and consistency, but he’s doing really well.”
“He’ll really help us with his creative play. Whether he starts or comes on, he’s an important player for us.”
The two sides kick-off at 20.45 CET at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
ROMA (3-4-2-1) Rui Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Llorente; Zalewski, Cristante, Wijnaldum, Spinazzola; Pellegrini, El Shaarawy; Belotti
UDINESE (3-5-2) Silvestri; Becao, Bjiol, Perez; Ehizibue, Lovric, Walace, Pereyra, Udogie; Success, Beto
