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Big Match Feature: Roma v Bayern
Roma coach Rudi Garcia is confident of producing a positive result as his side face Bayern Munich in a Group E Champions League clash on Tuesday night, while Josep Guardiola knows his men must be at their best.
FORM GUIDE (all competitions)
Roma: WLDWWW
Bayern: WWWWWD
MATCH BACKGROUND
ROMA
Roma opened their Group E campaign with a 5-1 home success over PFC CSKA Moskva – their biggest Uefa Champions League victory in eight years and joint biggest win ever in the competition.
Their home record against Bundesliga teams is W7 D1 L3.
Totti has played against Roma's last four Bundesliga opponents, starting with Karlsruher SC in the 1996/97 Uefa Cup. He has yet to lose a home tie against a German outfit.
BAYERN
Bayern are chasing a third straight victory in Group E after back-to-back 1-0 wins over Manchester City and CSKA Moskva.
The Reds have lost just one of their last 11 Uefa Champions League away games.
On their last visit to Italy, Bayern triumphed 2-0 at Juventus in the 2012/13 quarterfinals (agg 4-0). Their overall away record against Serie A opposition reads W6 D3 L9.
PREVIOUS MEETINGS
The clubs first met in the 1984/85 European Cup Winners' Cup quarterfinals, Bayern winning 4-1 on aggregate (2-0 h, 2-1 a).
They met again in the 2010/11 Uefa Champions League group stage when the Bavarian side prevailed 2-0 at home but then surrendered a two-goal lead at the Stadio Olimpico as Roma battled back to win 3-2, Daniele De Rossi, Francesco Totti and Marco Borriello among the scorers.
THE LINE-UPS IN ROME ON 23 NOVEMBER 2010 WERE:
Roma: Júlio Sérgio, Cassetti, Mexès, Burdisso, Riise, Greco (Simplício 46), De Rossi, Brighi (Totti 75); Ménez; Vucinic (Pizarro 82), Borriello.
Bayern: Kraft, Lahm, Van Buyten, Demichelis, Pranjic, Ottl, Tymoshuk; Kroos, Müller (Contento 73), Ribéry (Altintop 77); Gomez.
RUDI GARCIA, ROMA COACH
"We are still the outsiders of the group, but we have played two good matches and we want to continue, because we know that we have our chances. Tomorrow we will play a high-level match; we know this. But we know too that the Stadio Olimpico will be full [with record ticket sales] and our supporters will be close to us. The truth will come on the pitch, and we will try to be good enough to get what we want.
"Pep Guardiola is one of the best coaches in the world; he has won so much at Barcelona, with a very good way of playing. He was proud to go to a club that had won everything the year before, but he proved to be the right person for them.
"Bayern haven't conceded a goal for a couple of months? We do not fear them; we have no fear of anybody, to be honest. We know that tomorrow we will play against a great team with great players, but we have great players too and we're playing in our stadium. In a match like this, we will not be spectators. And I have real belief that we can get a positive result.
"We want to get to the round of 16 and, if we get three points tomorrow, we'll be confident we can do that."
JOSEPH GUARDIOLA, BAYERN COACH
"I am always really happy to be back in Italy and to be back in Rome, where I spent six very beautiful months with AS Roma. I know how much you love football here and how passionate you are. I love coming back here.
This game will be a very important challenge. If a team wins these two matches, they will qualify, for sure. At the moment we are in a perfect position with six points from two games, but I have always said that the classification in this group will be decided on the last day. Tomorrow, the team which wins will have to deserve it.
"I am sorry that [former player at FC Barcelona] Seydou Keita will not play, but when I see players like Daniele De Rossi, Francesco Totti, Miralem Pjanic, Gervinho, Manuel Iturbe and their fast defenders, I say that they have everything. I told my players that if we do not play a great match we will not win.
"Totti is inspired when he has the ball at his feet and the way of playing Rudi Garcia has given Roma is perfect for him. It is not easy for a foreign coach to go abroad and adapt as well as Rudi Garcia has. He takes great care in the details. There is still much of the season to go, but I am happy because we are growing, compared to where we were last season. This is the most important thing for a coach – to grow."
MATCH FACTS
ROMA
Maicon is a booking away from a suspension after picking up yellow cards on matchdays one and two.
Totti, from the spot, was on target for the third successive game as the capital side ran out 3-0 victors at home to AC Chievo Verona on Saturday.
Roma's five-match winning start to the Serie A season ended with a 3-2 loss at Juventus on 5 October. Totti converted a penalty in Turin, extending to 21 the number of consecutive campaigns in which he has scored a league goal.
At 38 years and three days, Totti became the oldest ever Uefa Champions League scorer on matchday two.
The Giallorossi have won five out of five at home in all competitions this season.
Keita suffered a calf injury during Mali's Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Ethiopia on 11 October.
Kevin Strootman, out since sustaining a serious knee injury in early March, returned to full training on 13 October.
On the same day, Maicon signed a new contract committing him to the club until 30 June 2016. The deal includes an option for a further 12 months.
Radja Nainggolan's equaliser earned Belgium a point against Bosnia and Herzegovina in their Uefa EURO 2016 qualifier on 13 October, Roma teammate Miralem Pjanic having set up the home side's goal.
BAYERN
Bayern are 11 matches unbeaten since losing 2-0 to Borussia Dortmund in the German Super Cup on 13 August.
They put six without reply past SV Werder Bremen on Saturday, Bayern's biggest win in any competition since beating the same team 7-0 on 7 December.
Xabi Alonso doubled the hosts' advantage with a free-kick: his first goal at club level since 28 August 2011. Lahm, who had scored one league goal in his previous 113 Bundesliga appearances, was on target twice – his first career double.
The Bavarians have not conceded a goal in 748 minutes, since a 1-1 draw with FC Schalke 04 on 30 August – their longest run under Guardiola.
Thiago Alcántara returned to training on 9 October after a knee injury that has kept him out since 29 March, but is sidelined again after partially tearing ligaments in the same joint five days later.
Reina suffered a calf injury on 6 October and will be sidelined for several weeks.
Javi Martínez (out since 13 August, knee) and Holger Badstuber (13 September, left thigh) are long-term absentees. Schweinsteiger (knee) is yet to feature for Bayern this term.
On 11 October, Lewandowski set up Poland's second goal in their 2-0 Uefa EURO 2016 qualifying triumph over a Germany side featuring Manuel Neuer, Boateng, Mario Götze and Thomas Müller.
The following day, Juan Bernat marked his debut for Spain with a goal in the European champions' 4-0 defeat of Luxembourg.
David Alaba (Moldova 1-2 Austria, 9 October) and Xherdan Shaqiri (San Marino 0-4 Switzerland, 14 October) were also on target in Uefa EURO 216 qualifying.
The day after the Roma game a Bayern delegation will meet Pope Francis in the Vatican.
COACH AND PLAYER LINKS
As LOSC Lille coach, Rudi Garcia faced Bayern on matchdays three and four of the 2012/13 Uefa Champions League, going down 1-0 at home and 6-1 away.
Josep Guardiola appeared four times in Serie A and once in the Uefa Champions League for Roma in 2002/03, playing alongside Totti and De Rossi. He spent 2001/02 at Brescia Calcio, making 11 Serie A outings.
Guardiola's first encounter with an Italian club was in the 1992 European Champion Clubs' Cup final when Barcelona beat UC Sampdoria 1-0. He lost the 1994 final against AC Milan (0-4).
Medhi Benatia spent 2013/14 with Roma (33 Serie A matches, five goals).
Seydou Keita played for Guardiola at Barcelona (2008–12), winning two Uefa Champions League titles.
Keita scored at Bayern for Barcelona in a 1-1 away draw in the 2008/09 quarterfinals (agg 5-1).
Morgan De Sanctis faced Bayern with SSC Napoli in the 2011/12 group stage (1-1 h, 2-3 a).
Maicon lined up alongside Dante in the Brazil team beaten 7-1 by Germany in the 2014 Fifa World Cup semifinals. Manuel Neuer, Philipp Lahm, Jérôme Boateng, Bastian Schweinsteiger and Thomas Müller – scorer of the first goal – all featured for Germany.
Maicon's FC Internazionale Milano beat Bayern 2-0 in the 2010 Uefa Champions League final, and then on away goals in the last 16 in 2010/11.
Ashley Cole put a penalty past Neuer as Chelsea FC overcame Bayern on spot kicks in the 2012 Uefa Champions League final. He converted another in the 2013 Uefa Super Cup shoot-out between the sides but this time Bayern prevailed.
At the 2010 World Cup, Cole was in the England team felled 4-1 by Germany in the last 16, Müller registering twice.
In the Uefa EURO 2012 opening game, Robert Lewandowski struck for Poland in a 1-1 draw with Vasilis Torosidis and José Holebas's Greece. Torosidis was in the Greece side ousted 4-2 by Germany in the quarterfinals, Lahm scoring.
Holebas was born in Germany and made 74 league appearances for TSV 1860 München (2006–10).
Thiago Alcántara was born in Italy, where his father Mazinho was playing for US Lecce. He made his international debut for Spain in a 2-1 loss to Italy in August 2011.
Rafinha represented Genoa CFC in 2010/11 (34 Serie A games, two goals); Pepe Reina spent last term at Napoli (30 Serie A matches).
OTHER CONNECTIONS
Keita and Thiago (Barcelona);
Cole and Claudio Pizarro (Chelsea);
Rafinha and Mattia Destro (Genoa);
Mapou Yanga-Mbiwa and Franck Ribéry (France);
Lukasz Skorupski and Lewandowski (Poland).
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Roma: De Sanctis; Maicon, Yanga-Mbiwa, Manolas, Cole; Pjanic, De Rossi, Nainggolan; Iturbe, Totti, Gervinho.
Out: Castán (thigh), Strootman (knee), Keita (calf)
Bayern: Neuer; Rafinha, Boateng, Dante, Alaba; Lahm, Alonso; Robben, Müller, Götze; Lewandowski.
Out: Badstuber (thigh), Martínez (knee), Reina (calf), Schweinsteiger (knee), Alcántara (knee)
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