After seeing off the challenge of Italian champions Juventus in the quarterfinals, Roma will target another big win when they host Napoli in the first leg of the Coppa Italia semifinals on Wednesday.
Where to Watch Live
The game is scheduled for an 8.45 pm local time (1.15 am IST Thursday morning) start with live coverage on Ten Sports in India. The match can be watched via live streaming in the US HERE. Catch the action in the Middle East and North Africa live online HERE. Viewers in the UK can live stream the match HERE.
Gervinho was the hero for Roma in the quarters against Juve, scoring the winner, and Rudi Garcia's men will be confident of toppling Napoli over two legs.
"I don't fear anything about Napoli but I respect everyone, Napoli especially because they have a good team," Garcia said on Tuesday. "They're not having an easy time of things at the moment but that could inspire a reaction in them.
"It's important to remember that the semi-final is two legs -- 180 minutes, if not more. We want to try and put one foot in the final tomorrow but we must remember that whatever happens we still have to go back to their place for the return leg."
Napoli will travel to Rome on the back of a disappointing 3-0 defeat in the Serie A to Atalanta at the weekend, while Roma have had the advantage of some extra rest after their match against Parma was abandoned due to heavy rain after just nine minutes.
"Are we lucky not to have played on Sunday? Maybe because Napoli played and lost, and psychologically that can influence things," Garcia said. "We're in good shape physically but some of the players won't be up to full match speed because they haven't played for 10 days. We'll see what happens tomorrow."
Rafa Benitez has done reasonably well in his first season at Napoli, but there still exists a feeling that they need to do more considering the amount of investment made on new players at the beginning of the season.
Napoli are well off the pace from the leaders Juventus, with 15 points separating the two, while Roma are six points ahead of their Wednesday opponents, having played a game less.
"We have to stay united, this is the key to improving our performance," Benitez said. "The Napoli fans should stay close to us and stay calm because only in this way can we improve. I'll keep working hard, I have a lot of faith in the team and the Napoli project.
"It's a good thing we immediately have the possibility to make amends. I expect the team to have the strength to play a good game. Roma have a very good defence, and in midfield have very experienced players. This year we had opportunities to score, we'll try to score this time, hoping also in a bit of luck
"Our aim is to score. We should play without making calculations, looking for a positive result and thinking about converting. The team is in good shape, I hope to see the same attitude and the same mentality that we had in the match against Lazio in the Cup."
