Cagliari prepare to welcome Jose Mourinho’s Roma to Sardegna Arena at the weekend, and Claudio Ranieri expects his side to come out resilient against a struggling Giallorossi outfit. However, with just one victory in their last 16 league head-to-heads against Roma, Ranieri is aware his side will have to proceed with caution.
The experienced coach previewed the clash in his pre-match press conference (via CagliariNews24).
“When I face Roma, it’s always special, but I’ve always tried to get the most out of my team. The relationship with Mourinho started badly but ended well, I respect him a lot. Mourinho has won everything, hats off to him. Let’s keep our feet on the ground, let’s concentrate for this game and then we can rest.”
Roma have been enduring a tough start to the league season as they sit in 13th position going into matchday eight.
“It’s strange to see Roma there, I expect a team that is getting back on its feet. When you win, your self-esteem increases and I expect a great Roma.”
Meanwhile, Ranieri backed his side to turn the corner after a poor start to the season as they sit at the bottom of the league.
“I found the team to be beautiful and reactive, they know they are going through a difficult moment but those who are resilient manage to turn the corner, we have to speak with facts. It is difficult when the errors are individual and not collective. You talk about it and try to improve.”
Roma are winless in their last seven Serie A away games, whereas Ranieri has seen Cagliari pick up just two points from their opening seven games for the first time in the club’s history.
 |
Follow us on Google News for more updates on Serie A and Italian football |