AS Roma will aim to join the chasing pack when they travel to Sardinia to take on Cagliari as they intend to mount their Champions League bid.
Following four wins from their last five league games, the Giallorossi have everything to play for when they visit Cagliari at the Stadio Sant'Elia on Wednesday.
Sixth-placed Roma may find themselves thirteen points from the summit, but the fact that they have a game in hand means that if they continue with their progression they could be rewarded with a place in next season's Champions League, not to mention with the Scudetto.
The later may seem rather far-fetched, but by no means is it impossible, as despite last week's 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Juventus in the Coppa Italia, Roma have been surprisingly effective in 2012.
After a slow start, Spanish coach Luis Enrique has gradually moulded together a balanced and hard-working side that have the potential to beat anyone on their day.
But while the Romans contain a very effective attack, where 35-year-old captain Francesco Totti reigns supreme, much too often they are let down by their leaky defence. This is much of the reason why they have been unable to match the likes of Juventus, Milan and Udinese in a defensive sense.
Enrique has stressed the importance to maintain one-hundred percent concentration throughout the entire ninety minutes, and if Roma manage to achieve this it should warrant more positive results.
Roma's rivals Cagliari come into the clash having notched up only a single victory in their last seven league games, a ratio that explains why they lie in fourteenth place on the table.
The Sardinians have only managed two wins out of ten home games this season, and will need to begin to rectify this situation in order to survive the drop to the Serie B.
Having been completely outplayed in their 3-0 defeat to Milan on Sunday, the scenario doesn't appear to be too bright for Cagliari, even if they managed a 2-1 victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in September.
Sixth-placed Roma may find themselves thirteen points from the summit, but the fact that they have a game in hand means that if they continue with their progression they could be rewarded with a place in next season's Champions League, not to mention with the Scudetto.
The later may seem rather far-fetched, but by no means is it impossible, as despite last week's 3-0 thrashing at the hands of Juventus in the Coppa Italia, Roma have been surprisingly effective in 2012.
After a slow start, Spanish coach Luis Enrique has gradually moulded together a balanced and hard-working side that have the potential to beat anyone on their day.
But while the Romans contain a very effective attack, where 35-year-old captain Francesco Totti reigns supreme, much too often they are let down by their leaky defence. This is much of the reason why they have been unable to match the likes of Juventus, Milan and Udinese in a defensive sense.
Enrique has stressed the importance to maintain one-hundred percent concentration throughout the entire ninety minutes, and if Roma manage to achieve this it should warrant more positive results.
Roma's rivals Cagliari come into the clash having notched up only a single victory in their last seven league games, a ratio that explains why they lie in fourteenth place on the table.
The Sardinians have only managed two wins out of ten home games this season, and will need to begin to rectify this situation in order to survive the drop to the Serie B.
Having been completely outplayed in their 3-0 defeat to Milan on Sunday, the scenario doesn't appear to be too bright for Cagliari, even if they managed a 2-1 victory over Roma at the Stadio Olimpico in September.
