Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 9y

Rudi Garcia wants Roma to rediscover the winning habit in Europa League

Roma coach Rudi Garcia has called on his players to use the win over Feyenoord that saw them through to the Europa League round of 16 as the inspiration to end a frustrating run of draws.

The 2-1 win in Rotterdam last month was the last before a succession of stalemates effectively ended their hopes of catching Juventus in the race for the Serie A title.

At the weekend, Garcia slammed his "unrecognisable" team after another draw, this one against Chievo, but said he hoped the all-Italian Europa tie against Fiorentina would signal a change.

"I hope I see the Roma from Rotterdam," he said at a news conference. "We're talking about a period not all that long ago, and that is why I have faith in my players.

"We want to go through and reach the quarterfinals. Our main objective for the season remains qualifying for a place in the Champions League. My players know that they've got to be ready."

Garcia also dismissed media claims that some players were losing faith in him, saying: "In our final training session, I was scared that I might lose a couple of players given how intensely they were working."

His Fiorentina counterpart Vincenzo Montella warned that his side would face a tough challenge, telling the club's official website: "Let's just say that if a side is fighting for the Scudetto two years in a row, then they must have something over us.

"We'll try to get through against a big side who may not be playing as well as they were last season, but they are still in second place."

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