Ibra: Roma as bad as Ascoli Friday 18 November, 2005
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Zlatan Ibrahimovic has entered the verbal battle with Roma with an almighty put-down for the side Juventus face on Saturday night. "It’ll be like playing Ascoli," he scoffed.
Ibrahimovic is not known for an easy-going nature and, with all the fighting talk having so far emanated from the capital, the big Swede has decided to reply on behalf of his teammates with a few verbal punches of his own.
"On Saturday we will win," he declared. "We are better than them."
The Giallorossi have been fanning the flames of antagonism all week, in an attempt to draw the Bianconeri into a psychological battle before the real one begins at the Stadio Olimpico tomorrow night.
Francesco Totti has had disparaging words to say about Juve Coach Fabio Capello, under whom he served for five years, and Leandro Cufrè added a few choice words of his own yesterday.
Remaining unapologetic for hitting Alessandro Del Piero in last season’s volatile clash, the Argentine hard man also encouraged Roma fans to welcome the Turin giants with open hostility.
Most Juve players have refused to react to the comments and attempted to remain above any Giallorossi jibes, but Ibra has waded in, in true confrontational fashion. For the 24-year-old, Roma’s aggressive attitude is a sign of insecurity.
"Playing Roma is like playing Ascoli," he added. "There are no easy games in Italian football, but I certainly won’t be losing any sleep tonight."
One man who might be suffering from insomnia is Capello. The competitive former Roma boss will be quietly determined to prove a point to certain disrespectful former employees, but is concerned about the condition of his players.
No fewer than 14 Juventus stars have been away on international duty and only just returned from exhausting trips around the world.
Pavel Nedved was notably weary after returning from his World Cup qualifying exploits, although he is expected to play.
Roma, on the other hand, had just six players representing their countries in the recent break.
Of those, only Daniele De Rossi and Francesco Totti are first-team regulars and the Roma captain missed both Italy matches anyway due to a minor injury - from which he has since fully recovered.
source: channel4.com