De Rossi hoping for Roma miracle

Daniele De Rossi says it would be a ‘miracle’ if Roma manage to secure Champions League qualification with a top-three finish in Serie A.

Roma sit eighth on the Italian league table with 17 points from 13 matches.

They trail leaders Juventus by 12 points and are already 10 points adrift of third place, which is occupied by Udinese.

Although midfielder De Rossi acknowledged that it would be a difficult task to make up the deficit, he assured fans the team will keep on fighting.

“It would be a real miracle if Roma manage to finish in the top three and qualify for the Champions League,” he told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“However, we will definitely try to achieve just that.”

De Rossi offered a less-than-emphatic endorsement for under-pressure coach Luis Enrique, who said earlier in the week that he would only quit if the players wanted him to go.

“Luis Enrique? It’s hard to compare him to any other coach I know,” he said.

“If I have to come up with a name, I’d say Luciano Spalletti. With him, we started playing really well after the Christmas break. Sometimes coaches just need a bit of time.”

Roma play host to Juventus at the Stadio Olimpico on Monday.