Basel in must-win Champions League clash with Roma

Basel face a must-win match when they take on AS Roma in the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday or accept almost certain elimination from the Champions League.

The Swiss have lost their first two Group E games against CFR Cluj and Bayern Munich and know that another defeat would render their hopes of progression to the knock-out stages almost negligible.

But history is not on the side of coach Thorsten Fink’s team who have never won in four previous visits to Italy.

Roma have also never failed to beat Swiss opposition at home in Europe on five occasions and defeated Basel 2-1 here in the Europa League group stages last season — although the Swiss had already beaten the Romans 2-0 in Basel.

And despite Roma’s lowly Serie A league position, these next two games against Basel offer them a chance to put one foot in the knock-out stages.

Claudio Ranieri’s team were under pressure after losing their opening group game 2-0 in Munich but hit back with a 2-1 home success against Cluj.

Two wins or even a win and a draw against the Swiss would likely put them in a commanding position, given Cluj have two daunting clashes with Bayern to look forward to in the next couple of weeks.

The European distraction will also be welcome for Roma who have been under fire at home after a poor start to the season that saw them drop into the bottom three after six matches.

They beat Genoa on Saturday to move out of the drop zone but president Rosella Sensi has maintained a press boycott for Ranieri and the players.

Only secondary official Gian Paolo Montali would speak to the press following the 2-1 success.

“We’ve decided to continue the press boycott because we want to preserve our energies for our sporting performances,” said Montali.

“We believe this can help the team.

“On Tuesday we have an important Champions League match and we expect an incredible show of strength.”

It’s not the first time Roma have implemented such a silence as they have done so also in the last couple of seasons when results were going against them.

“These are different things but with the same common denominator. We need to work hard to reinforce the team’s strengths and look to improve our weaknesses,” added Montali.

“In the sporting world the architects of success are the players.”

Roma didn’t qualify for the Champions League last season but in the previous three editions they reached the knock-out stages, only to be eliminated by English opposition on each occasion.

Basel’s last foray into the group stages of Europe’s premier club competition ended in disappointment two years ago as they lost their opening three games and finished with a single point.