Roma coach under fire
AS ROMA coach Eusebio Di Francesco could lead his team into the Champions League quarter-finals or be shown the exit door depending on the outcome of their round of 16 match at Porto today.
After a season of inconsistency, Italian media have reported that Di Francesco's job will be at stake when they defend a 2-1 lead away to the Portuguese champions at the Estadio do Dragao in today's second leg.
Former Fiorentina coach Paulo Sousa is the favourite to replace Di Francesco should he be fired, according to Italian media, who said the Portuguese would be in the stands today.
Another possibility for a replacement is former Roma defender Christian Panucci, who is currently coach of the Albanian national side.
The club has not made any official comment on the coach's situation. MANCHESTER United's Chilean forward Alexis Sanchez is facing up to a six-week spell on the sidelines due to a knee ligament injury, according to coach Ole Gunnar Solskjaer.
“He might be out for, it was a bad knee injury, so if it is four weeks or six weeks,” Solskjaer told a news conference yesterday ahead of his team's Champions League last-16 second leg against Paris St Germain. “Hopefully he will recover quickly.” Sanchez, 30, injured the medial ligament in his right knee during United's 3-2 Premier League victory over Southampton on Saturday.
However, he is expected to be fit to represent Chile at the Copa America, which starts on June 14, national team physio Pedro Onate told Chilean newspaper El Mercurio.
Sanchez could return for United's last two league games against Huddersfield Town and Cardiff City, but any
Roma had just got over their 7-1 Coppa Italia drubbing by Fiorentina in January when they were thumped 3-0 by neighbours Lazio in their derby on Saturday, further stretching the patience of fans and club directors.
Di Francesco admitted it was not good enough and was especially angry at Lazio's first goal, scored from a move which began with a throw-in.
“You can't concede a goal through the middle from a throw-in - it was all too easy for them. We got our marking wrong,” he said. “It can happen to anyone but it's been happening a bit too often to us this season.
“We really must work on the mental side of things. We seem to be on and off.”
The 49-year-old led Roma to third place in Serie A and the Champions League semi-finals last season, his first at the club. | setback in his rehabilitation would mean he has played his last match this season.
United are already without a host of players for today's clash at PSG due to injury, inclusing Anthony Martial and Jesse Lingard, while midfielder Paul Pogba is suspended for the tie.
They trail 2-0 on aggregate after losing the first leg at Old Trafford. |