Roma host Romanian club CFR Cluj in Champions League
Last season's Serie A runners-up Roma have struggled to find their form so far this season and will be looking to give their title hopes a boost of confidence as they host Romanian side CFR Cluj at the Stadio Olimpico in Rome.
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For a club as high profile as Roma it seems strange to see them all the way at the bottom of the Serie A standings where they currently sit tied on five points with five other clubs who only have Udinese on one point looking up at them. Roma also suffered
a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Bayern Munich in the Champions League when they traveled to Germany on match day one. However, after failing to win in Serie A from their first four games, Roma got a huge lift over the weekend by upsetting the holders Inter Milan
1-0 which should give them added confidence going into their match against Cluj and hopefully feeling like they are set to return to their winning ways.
CFR Cluj, much like Roma, have struggled in their own domestic league. In fact, you have to look all the way back to last month to find Cluj's last league win, a 2-1 victory over Pandurii Târgu-Jiu. However, Cluj made a bit of a splash on Champions League
match day one with an impressive 2-1 victory over Swiss side Basel and currently sit tied atop the group with Bayern.
Players to watch
Pound for pound Cluj must feel outmatched in just about every position. If they are going to find any life at all look to Argentinian midfielder Juan Culio to maybe catch the Roma defense napping, or to provide an inviting ball through to a ready striker
to latch onto and maybe score a goal against the run of play.
For Roma, Daniele De Rossi was back in the lineup against Inter and was instrumental in their victory, and it's clear that Roma are simply a different side with him in the lineup. Look for veteran Francesco Totti and strike partner Marco Borriello to go
hunting for the headlines.
What to expect
If history were any guide you would be urged to expect the unexpected. There is a bit of history in this fixture as Roma and the Stadio Olimpico were the site of Cluj's Champions League debut in the 2008-2009 tournament and where the tiny Romanian club upset
the mighty club from Rome 2-1. Roma have too much at stake for them to get complacent about who their opponents are, and will be determined not to let history repeat itself. Expect the Romanian side to be a taught a lesson. Roma win in a one-sided rout 4-0.
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