Di Francesco: Roma must score early against Liverpool

If Roma are to repeat their Champions League quarter-final heroics when they take on Liverpool, Eusebio Di Francesco has called on them to net an early goal.

The Giallorossi trail 5-2 following the first leg at Anfield but will retain hope given their stunning comeback in the previous round to eliminate Barcelona.

An early goal proved pivotal that night as Edin Dzeko netted after six minutes to renew hope for the Lupi and something similar could be needed to increase belief at the Stadio Olimpico.

“On the computer, I would like to copy and paste our performance against Barcelona,” he told reporters on Tuesday. “To compete with Liverpool, we have to increase the quality of our performance and score as soon as possible, to excite the public.

“We face a totally different team than Barcelona from the tactical point of view and in their mentality, they play fewer passes and are more direct.

“This changes a lot on the tactical level but on the other hand, on the motivational level, nothing changes.”

The last time the two clubs met in a game of this magnitude at the Stadio Olimpico came in the 1984 European Cup final and while Di Francesco acknowledged that times are different, it is a game that is still remembered within the Eternal City.

“It has been too long, it is felt more in the hearts of the fans,” he added. “But now it’s another football, another era. The motivations are different. It is a semi-final, so it is in itself an important match.

“I will try to motivate my players so that they are convinced that they can do something big.”