Enrique not taking Fiorentina lightly

Roma coach Luis Enrique has urged his side to be wary of Fiorentina when the two teams meet on Sunday in Serie A.

Delio Rossi’s men have endured a torrid campaign so far and currently sit in 16th place, only three points above the relegation zone.

However, a shock 2-1 win at San Siro over AC Milan last weekend plus a valuable point at home to Palermo midweek has seen a rise in Fiorentina’s fortunes, and Enrique has warned his men not to take the opposition lightly.

“Fiorentina are going through a difficult moment, but in their last away game they beat Milan, so we have to be very wary,” he said.

“Of course Fiorentina worry me, because they were not prepared to fight against relegation with talents of great quality like Stevan Jovetic, Riccardo Montolivo and Juan Manuel Vargas. This side needs points to secure safety and that is what worries me the most.”

When the teams met in December, it was a game to forget for Roma as Fiorentina ran out 3-0 winners, with Enrique’s men having Fernando Gago, Juan and Bojan Krkic sent off.

And the coach is hoping his team can avenge the defeat.

“That night can act as motivation. We played our game despite the red cards. I understand the fans can be angry after a few defeats and humiliations. We need the support of our fans and they are giving it to us 99.9 percent,” he said.

“It’s normal to have a little anger at times, but I thank them for their support.

“We have done good things, otherwise we wouldn’t be here fighting for the Champions League. We were inconsistent, but we know that, and work every week to improve.”

Roma bounced back from last weekend’s surprise 4-2 loss to Lecce with a 3-1 win against Udinese on Wednesday and Enrique was keen to pick out Francesco Totti for his performance.

“Totti is a player who doesn’t talk much, but sets the example on the field, which is better. What he shows to the rest of his team-mates is very important. It was a real strain to play against Udinese despite his physical condition and he put in a wonderful performance,” he said.

Roma are currently fifth in Italy’s top flight and sit four points behind rivals Lazio, who occupy the third and final Champions League place.