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“It's great to have them back with us again,” the coach declared. “We're very fond of these kids. Elio has been with us for ages while Ezequiel has quickly endeared himself to the rest of the squad since joining the club."
Capradossi was injured back in September while playing for Italy U20s while Ponce's last match was away to Barcelona in the UEFA Youth League in November, when his brace helped Roma come from 3-0 down to draw 3-3.
The pair have now recovered and can rejoin the U19s for the business end of the season, starting with a home match on Saturday morning at 11:00 CET.
It is the Giallorossi's first competitive fixture following a three-weak break over the Easter period.
“We've trained well during the break and been able to focus on our fitness levels after a two-month spell in which we were playing two games every week," De Rossi explained. "Over the next month or so we'll be working with the Final Eight in mind, although we haven't actually qualified yet."
Roma currently sit top of Group C and need just one more win to be mathematically certain of their place in the end-of-season finals.
However, the coach knows from experience that Crotone will be no pushovers.
“Tomorrow will be a very difficult match. Crotone are one of the few teams to have beaten us this year and they're having a great season. We remember our meeting with them earlier in the campaign very well. We didn't play badly but they were more clinical than us on the day.
“If we play our usual game tomorrow we can win and make sure of our place in the Final Eight. Only then can we think about a specific long-term plan to get us ready for it.”
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