Cassetti underlines Roma intent

AS Roma defender Marco Cassetti warned Manchester United FC that the Giallorossi would not be at Old Trafford just to make up the numbers when the teams meet in their UEFA Champions League quarter-final on Wednesday night.

'Slight advantage'
Cassetti, who is expected to feature at left-back for the Italian team, played down the damage done by United's 2-0 first leg victory – "a slight advantage" – and instead underlined Roma's intent to produce a performance to remember. "We've not come here just to watch them celebrate," said Cassetti. "We know we're playing a very strong team who have a slight advantage but we'll do our utmost to win the game and the tie."

Versatile
The versatile Italian international has played right across the Roma defence this season, though he missed the 1-0 group-stage defeat at Old Trafford in October. However, having played the full 90 minutes of their 7-1 humbling here last April, he is determined for Roma to give everything at a venue that proved the graveyard of their European ambitions then. "We know it is going to be a difficult game without a doubt but we want to do our best to try and get a good result and put in a good performance. That's what we will try to do and at the end of 90 minutes, we'll see what we have been able to achieve."

'Something special'
Roma's recent defensive efforts came under scrutiny at the pre-match press conference with one Italian journalist asking coach Luciano Spalletti about their record of nine goals conceded in their last five matches. That fact - and the additional one that they have not kept a clean sheet since Matchday 1 - may not augur well for a team facing opponents who have scored in every European outing this term, but Spalletti stressed he was happy with his defenders, praising their "attitude". Cassetti had his own message of optimism. The odds may be stacked against them but the 30-year-old insisted: "We want to try and produce something special."