The Japan Times - Roma's Champions League return back on as Milan, Juve wobble

A hammering by new champions Inter Milan a month ago seemed to signal the end of Roma's hopes of ending a long absence from Europe's top club competition.

But 10 points from their subsequent four matches have taken Roma to within one point of fourth-placed Juventus, with Milan only two further points ahead in third.

"We're going well, but we know that we cannot make any mistakes if we're going to have any chance of making the Champions League," coach Gian Piero Gasperini said after last weekend's thumping of Fiorentina.

"We've got three matches that we have to get right and hope that others don't."

Roma have found form at just the right time, and Gasperini has solidified his position at the helm after a battle with Claudio Ranieri seemed to have put his job at risk.

Ranieri was dismissed from his role as senior advisor to Roma's billionaire American owners a fortnight ago, after a spat between him and Gasperini boiled over in public just before the 3-0 thumping of Pisa which began this recent hot run of form.

The Friedkin family has decided to put their faith in Gasperini, who is liked by fans even after his row with local boy and lifelong Roma fan Ranieri, in the hope he can break the club back into the Champions League.

Roma haven't played in Europe's top club competition since being knocked out by Porto in the last 16 seven years ago but their prospects of doing so are looking up with three matches remaining this season.

Also playing into Roma's hands is how Milan's form has fallen off a cliff, Massimiliano Allegri's team picking up just seven points since beating Inter two months ago.

That derby win looked to have reopened the league title race but Milan have scored just once in five matches and are now looking over their shoulders at Roma, with Como also only three points off the top four.

Making things worse for Milan, who have Atalanta at the San Siro on Sunday night, is midfield lynchpin Luka Modric missing the rest of the season with a cheekbone fracture, and his absence was keenly felt at Sassuolo last weekend.

Parma have nothing to play for and Roma's final opponents Verona are already relegated, but sandwiched between those two fixtures is the Rome derby, with Lazio always keen to give their neighbours a bloody nose.

Player to watch: Donyell Malen

With 12 goals since arriving on loan from Aston Villa in January, Malen has been the star of Gasperini's Roma team in the second half of the season.

The Netherlands striker has become a key player and has provided cut and thrust to Roma's attacking in a similar way to some of the best players of Gasperini's nine hugely successful years at Atalanta, like Ademola Lookman or Alejandro Gomez.

Key stats

8 - Roma last qualified for the Champions League in 2018, eight years ago

5- The number of points separating Milan in third and sixth-place Como

Fixtures (times GMT)

Friday

Torino v Sassuolo (1845)

Saturday

Cagliari v Udinese (1300), Lazio v Inter (1600), Lecce v Juventus (1845)

Sunday

Verona v Como (1030), Cremonese v Pisa, Fiorentina v Genoa (both 1300), Parma v Roma (1600), AC Milan v Atalanta (1845)

Monday

Napoli v Bologna (1845)

Y.Kato--JT