Fiorentina are a “work of art” that Roma coach Luciano Spalletti hopes to vandalise tonight.
The teams, both on 53 points – in fourth and third places respectively in Serie A –are preparing to go head to head at the Stadio Olimpico. The prize of victory is a return to the title race, while the loser will be firmly in the sights of fifth-spotted Inter.
Roma enter the capital city showdown on the back of a six-game winning run while Fiorentina are unbeaten in seven having most recently held free-scoring Napoli to a 1-1 draw in Tuscany.
And Spalletti, the mentor behind Roma’s recent renaissance, thinks he has deconstructed the team from the city of Dante.
He told a pre-match press conference: “Fiorentina are a work of art who play modern, exciting football, as well as being a tough, solid side.
“The Viola are good at anticipating the way the opposition play and tweaking their approach accordingly.
“We’ll need to be better than ever against Fiorentina, but I have faith in the lads.
“The boys have been brilliant in the way they’ve approached our games in terms of mental strength.”
Vice-captain Daniele De Rossi is the only absentee from the Giallorossi squad. The midfielder suffered a leg injury against Real Madrid in the Champions League and will miss most of March.
Fiorentina’s Portuguese boss Paulo Sousa has described the Olimpico showdown as a six-pointer and thinks the victor will stand a good chance of forcing their way back into the Scudetto picture.
He told La Gazzetta dello Sport: “It will not be decisive because there are a lot of games left, but it is definitely a match which is worth six points.
“We are meeting the expectations that we set ourselves and have even raised the bar.”
Roma ran out 2-1 winners at the Stadio Artemio Franchi in October.
Programme
Today: 20.45 Roma vs Fiorentina.
Tomorrow: 18.00 Verona vs Samp-doria. 20.45 Napoli vs Chievo.
Sunday: 12.30 Torino vs Lazio. 15.00 Atalanta vs Juventus; Bologna vs Carpi; Frosinone vs Udinese; Genoa vs Empoli; Sassuolo vs Milan. 20.45 Inter vs Palermo.