Football
Ben Gladwell, Italy correspondent 10y

Francesco Totti eagerly anticipating Roma's Champions League return

Francesco Totti is relishing his and Roma's return to the Champions League on Wednesday night.

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Totti and Roma's last appearance in the Champions League was a 3-0 defeat to Shakhtar Donetsk on 8 March 2011.

The Giallorossi make their return to Europe's premier competition when they welcome CSKA Moscow to the Stadio Olimpico, and Totti is sure, ahead of his 38th birthday on Sept. 27, he has something to offer.

"I still believe in myself and I'm happy with what I have done and what I am still doing," Totti said at a news conference.

"I still hope to give a lot to this club and I will be the first to step aside if I feel I no longer have the strength, but this return to the Champions League is gratifying for me as it is for the whole squad. These are the kinds of games Roma should be playing every single year."

Roma's participation in the Champions League this season should not be brief either, according to their captain. Manchester City and Bayern Munich may be favourites to progress, but Totti has taken his inspiration from Atletico Madrid last season and Borussia Dortmund the year before.

"We want to go as far as possible," he said. "We've got a difficult group, but I like it. We're going to play open games against everybody, hoping to cause them all problems. I hope we can go further than [Luciano] Spalletti's Roma."

Spalletti took the Giallorossi to the quarterfinals in 2007 and 2008, when they were arguably more used to appearing in the competition. This Roma have not had any European football in the past three seasons, which only increases the anticipation levels this year.

"We fought all last year to be in the Champions League and now we've got to enjoy it," coach Rudi Garcia said. "I expect us to play with enthusiasm and joy because it would be a shame if we put any extra pressure on this game.

"Everybody is already saying we're not going to reach the last 16 so it would be great to get through, and a good start would be useful to go into the following games."

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