Roma rest unlikely to make a difference, says Garcia

Roma coach Rudi Garcia does not believe his side’s weekend off will make much difference in Wednesday’s Coppa Italia clash with Napoli.

The men from the capital saw their Serie A fixture with Parma abandoned due to adverse weather conditions after eight minutes on Sunday, while Napoli suffered a 3-0 defeat at Atalanta.

But Garcia is unsure whether 10 days without a game will give his side the advantage in this week’s semi-final first-leg encounter.

“A rest could benefit us and it could not,” he said. “Napoli played and lost though, and I think that’ll have an effect.

“From a physical point of view we’ll be fine, but we won’t be in the rhythm that you have when you play – we haven’t taken to the field for 10 days now.

“We don’t fear Napoli, we just respect them because they have a great side.

“It’s a semi-final, played over two legs. It’s a match that’s 180 minutes long, maybe more. So tomorrow we just want to get closer to the final.

“This match is the most important simply because it is the next one we’re playing. On Thursday though, we’ll focus again on the league.

“I’m sure Napoli are going to be at their best, because, like us, they want to make the final.”