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Attendance: 51,236
Liverpool logo
Champions League | Semi-Finals
Apr 24, 2018 at 7.45pm UK
 
Roma logo

5-2

Salah (36', 45'), Mane (56'), Firmino (61', 69')
FT(HT: 2-0)
Dzeko (81'), Perotti (85' pen.)

Eusebio Di Francesco: 'Roma will not park the bus at Anfield'

Di Francesco: 'Roma won't park the bus'
© Offside
Eusebio Di Francesco insists that Roma will not sit deep against Liverpool, but acknowledges the quality of the Reds' front three.

Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco has insisted that his side "are not going to sit deep" in the first leg of their Champions League semi-final against Liverpool.

The Reds head into the match boasting the best attacking stats of any side in this season's competition, registering 33 goals - 10 of those coming in the two knockout rounds.

Di Francesco is aware of Liverpool's ability to take teams apart, but is refusing to park the bus at Anfield ahead of the return tie in the Italian capital next week.

"We aren't going to sit deep. They have to do well to force us deep," he told reporters at his pre-match press conference. "The decisive thing will be for us to stay compact."

Asked about the threat of 41-goal forward Mohamed Salah, who is expected to start alongside Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane, Di Francesco added: "We can't focus on a single player.

"Liverpool are not just Salah, the front-three combine really well together and that's not an insignificant factor. So we haven't prepared this game with one player in mind. When preparing the game, of course we have to be aware of their strongest players, but we're not targeting a single one."

Only Cristiano Ronaldo, with 15 goals, has scored more than Salah's eight in this season's Champions League.

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Francesco Totti in action for Roma in September 2016
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