PREVIEW: Chelsea face Roma in clash that could decide Champions League group C
Alvaro Morata said he would sign on for 10 years at Chelsea if offered the deal
“As long as the Colosseum stands, Rome stands,” said the Venerable Bede, arguably the finest Anglo-Saxon scholar.
But it is at another great arena, the Stadio Olimpico, where Roma’s fate will be decided, while Chelsea aiming to bring their opponents to their knees.
If the Blues secure a win in the Italian capital they will virtually assure themselves of a place in the Champions League quarter-finals, while giving Atletico Madrid a chance to claw their way back into contention after a terrible opening three games.
But if Roma play like they did at Stamford Bridge in the thrilling 3-3 draw, they could put the English champions to the sword and become shock leaders of Group C.
In London we saw a beautiful Roma and tomorrow I want to see the same mentality," said Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco ahead of Tuesday’s clash.
"I want the same mentality as the one we adopted in our previous games. The mentality must be the same. That game must be a starting point for us.
"The idea is also to be more realistic than during the last three league matches (each finishing 1-0 to his side) where we lacked something."
Chelsea may have midfield powerhouse N’Golo Kante back for the clash.
The Frenchman has been a big miss for the Blues in recent weeks but has been training and Conte hinted he is ready to play.
“It’s important the player’s sensation is right,” said the Italian coach, back on home soil. “It takes time to recover.”
One man who has recovered from injury is Chelsea striker Alvaro Morata, who set up Eden Hazard’s winner against Bournemouth on Saturday.
The striker was the protagonist of the day after an interview with Italian media in which it was claimed he said he does not want ti keep living in London.
“I want to say that we had a problem of understanding in this interview. If Chelsea proposed me (to sign on for) 10 years I'd probably sign that too,” Morata said Monday night.
“I’m happy with this club, in this city, with everything in London. I really like London and, probably, if I make good and improve, probably I can stay here more than five years. But I need to score many goals otherwise Chelsea will buy another player. It's normal.”
