De Rossi excited by Tre Fontane return

Primavera coach Alberto De Rossi will be going back to where it all began for him at Roma on Wednesday, as his side formally unveil the refurbished Stadio Tre Fontane with their UEFA Youth League tie against Cork City.

De Rossi's side hold a 3-1 lead over the Irish side after the first leg, and will be hoping to sustain that advantage and christen the new-look ground with progression to the next phase of the competition.

“It’s exciting for everyone, myself included," De Rossi said, when asked about the occasion. "Tre Fontane is where my adventure with Roma began. I played there for two years and my coaching career began at the Tre Fontane too.

"It’s a historic venue and it will be a fantastic day – we’ll try to do it justice.”

De Rossi expects another tough game but, with his side back in action after a 6-1 win over Salernitana at the weekend, admits he is growing increasingly confident and proud of the development of his group.

“This is the objective we’ve been working towards since the start of the competition, which was different for us this year because we’ve come through the national champions route," he said. "They had the crowd behind them in the first leg and they managed to cause us lots of problems. We need to be alert and stay completely focused on our overall goal.

"There’s no point in thinking about the first-leg result. We need to produce a good performance and try to win.”

He added: “We’re having a fantastic spell and I want to highlight how we’ve been approaching games and how professional the lads have been – nothing stops them. It’s great to see how they’re playing and spend time with them on a daily basis. There’s a lovely bond between the players.”

Learn more about Stadio Tre Fontane here.