Roma eye Champions League spot

Roma midfielder Daniele De Rossi says the possibility of Champions League qualification has given his team extra motivation.

Luis Enrique’s side struggled to meet the high expectations in the opening months of the 2011/12 campaign.

But they have climbed to sixth spot on the table and are just four points adrift of third-placed Lazio, who have lost three of their last four matches.

The race for the final Champions League spot is wide open with Lazio, Napoli and Udinese all struggling, and De Rossi said his side needed to continue believing they were capable of a top-three finish.

“The fact that Lazio and Udinese lost at the weekend is a bit of a boost,” De Rossi told TeleRadioStereo.

“We have an extra motivation to keep on going now. We are close (to third spot) and can’t give up.

“We have to keep believing in ourselves and see how far we can go.”