Cristante discusses upcoming Derby della Capitale: “We want to give our all for the fans.”

Cristante discusses upcoming Derby della Capitale: “We want to give our all for the fans.”

Roma midfielder Bryan Cristante spoke to Serie A about the highly anticipated penultimate match of the season in the heated Derby della Capitale with Lazio.

“The derby is always the derby. Form doesn’t matter. Just as it’s important for our fans, it’s also important for theirs. Both teams will give something extra; it’s a game in itself. We know we have to win, and we’ll do everything we can to do it. The whole city is buzzing, everyone’s getting active, and you can feel the atmosphere that this week is different.”

“You can sense that the city is waiting for something important; I know how important this match is for our fans. The closer it gets to matchday, the more adrenaline rises. If you put too much heart into it, you won’t have the clarity to win; you have to stay balanced, but give something extra. It takes a mix of everything to bring home this match.”

“Malen? Strong, he’s devastating in the penalty area. He’s quick in control, quick in shooting, and cool in front of goal. He’s an extra weapon for us, we’re holding onto him tightly and hope he continues like this in these two games. The derby is so strong that we always arrive ready, you can feel it in the air.”

“Gasperini? We were good at following the coach even in difficult moments, we always stayed in the coach’s wake and did what he asked of us. As time went by, we learned his schemes more and more. Our skill was in never giving up on the coach’s ideas.”

“The Champions League is our goal. We’ve had a great season, and it would be sad to throw it away at the end. It’s not just up to us; we’ll give it our all to get back into the Champions League. We deserve it; it would be important. We hope to give ourselves this end-of-year gift.”