Embattled Roma’s “desire and determination” will be key when they host BATE Borisov in a Champions League clash on Wednesday in a tight Group E, according to Radja Nainggolan.
Embattled Roma’s “desire and determination” will be key when they host BATE Borisov in a Champions League clash on Wednesday in a tight Group E, according to Radja Nainggolan.
Roma host the Belarusian champions looking to book their ticket for the knockout phase for the first time since being outclassed 6-2 on aggregate by Shakhtar Donetsk in 2011.
Yet, a fortnight after a 6-1 drubbing by champions Barcelona left them second in Group E on the same number of points as third-placed Bayer Leverkusen, with BATE only a point further behind, Roma remain stuck in crisis mode.
Roma’s Nou Camp calamity was followed by a 2-0 home defeat to Atalanta and Rudi Garcia’s men dropped more points in a 1-1 draw away to Torino on Saturday.
Although still in title contention at five points behind Inter Milan, the pressure is building on Roma’s French coach Garcia to come good having seen his side slip several times in this group campaign.
But Belgian international Nainggolan, one of Roma’s key midfield components, has given Garcia his backing.“We have plenty of belief, we’re a strong group and we’re just waiting to get back to winning ways,” Nainggolan said after Saturday’s draw in Turin.
“(On Saturday) we showed lots of desire and that’s the first thing you need to get results. Good football comes after that.
“We have a Champions League match to prepare for on Wednesday, which will be tough, just as today’s game was.
“We have to approach it with the same desire and determination. We know we have to win to go through, so we’ll knuckle down and try to secure the points against BATE.”
A win would be the first of any kind for Roma since they beat Lazio 2-0 in the city derby of last month, but the fact Group E is wide open won’t make the task any easier — all three clubs sitting behind Barcelona can still snatch the second remaining spot.
While Roma would also qualify if they draw and Leverkusen fail to beat Barcelona, a Leverkusen win coupled with a Roma draw or defeat would see the Bundesliga side advance.
If BATE beat Roma for the second time in this campaign and Leverkusen do not win in Germany, the Belarusians will advance to the knockout stage for the first time.
