Roma still chasing Champions League place, insists Ranieri
Claudio Ranieri insists his Roma side will give everything to get a result at home to Serie A champions Juventus on Sunday.
Roma have an outside chance of reaching the Champions League places as they sit three points behind fourth-placed Atalanta with three games remaining.
Scudetto winners Juve have drawn their last two matches since they clinched an eighth successive league title with victory over Fiorentina on April 20.
Ranieri, who will leave Roma in the summer, told asroma.com: “When I came here, qualifying for the Champions League looked a tough ask, but we’re still in with a shot.
“We’ve got three games left and we don’t want to have any regrets. We’ll give our all and then we’ll take stock.”
When asked how his side could beat Juve, who have lost twice all season, the former Leicester manager said: “You need to be determined and focused, first and foremost.
“We’re fully aware that we let a good opportunity slip away in Genoa (a 1-1 draw), but what we have to do now is produce a reaction for our fans – that’s what you need in times like this.”
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
On his future at Roma, Ranieri maintained he would only be there until the end of the season and would not be drawn into discussions about a possible successor.
Juventus boss Massimiliano Allegri will see some of his key players return to the fold for their trip to Rome.
Alex Sandro, Rodrigo Bentancur and Paulo Dybala are all expected to return for the Bianconeri as they look to end their season on a high.
Speaking to juventus.com, Allegri said: “Tomorrow will be a great game against Roma. We have to play better because then we will have the celebrations after at home to Atalanta.
“It will be an evening celebration, which is something different than previous years and will be nice for all to see.”
FourFourTwo was launched in 1994 on the back of a World Cup that England hadn’t even qualified for. It was an act of madness… but it somehow worked out. Our mission is to offer our intelligent, international audience access to the game’s biggest names, insightful analysis... and a bit of a giggle. We unashamedly love this game and we hope that our coverage reflects that.