Tuesday 1 May 2018 13:56, UK
Roma midfielder Radja Nainggolan believes victory over Liverpool to reach the Champions League final would eclipse their comeback heroics against Barcelona.
Liverpool hold a three-goal advantage from the first-leg but the Serie A side will be confident of repeating their unlikely quarter-final victory against Barcelona, which saw Roma overturn the same deficit to progress on away goals.
Roma come into the second-leg on the back of a resounding 4-1 league victory against Chievo - a scoreline which would see them progress to the Kiev showpiece on May 26.
I think it will be more difficult than against Barcelona because [Liverpool] is physically a better team
"I think we all know it will be difficult. It was difficult against Barcelona and we did it so we need to believe in what we can do," Nainggolan said.
"I think it will be more difficult than against Barcelona because [Liverpool] is physically a better team.
"For us the only thing we need to try is to score the three goals and concede the least possible."
Liverpool appeared to have all-but secured a first appearance in the Champions League final since 2007 when they raced into a 5-0 lead inside 70 minutes last week but Roma scored twice late on to raise the possibility of another unlikely second-leg fightback
Nainggolan admits they were made to pay for errors at Anfield and can ill afford any loss in concentration throughout the encounter if they are to reach their first European Cup final since 1984.
"In the first leg, Liverpool were more consistent than we were through the course of the game. We managed to get two goals towards the end and that gives us hope for tomorrow," he said.
"We cannot make the same mistakes we did last week and we know that.
"If you lose focus just for a second in games like this, you get punished. We need to be fully focused for 95 minutes and give everything - that's the only way we'll be able to turn this around."
