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Italy coach Antonio Conte has said he believes Roma are well on their way to emulating the return to success enjoyed by Juventus in recent seasons. - De Rossi out for a month with calf injury
- Toe Poke: Roma swoop to sign nine-year-old Conte guided Juve to three successive Serie A titles before stepping down in the summer and taking over the national team. When the coach joined the Bianconeri, he inherited a side that had finished seventh in their previous two campaigns but, aided by a move to the new Juventus Stadium, led them to an historic run of success. "Juve built a skyscraper out of nothing in just three years," Conte told RAI television. "The structure is solid, and they are following a path that they are going to follow for a long time. "It wasn't easy to rediscover the right spirit but, as soon as I got into preseason with them, I realised I had a group of lads who would have overcome any obstacle. "I had a great squad and, together with the president, we believed that a miracle could happen -- and it did." Roma have announced that they hope to move to a new stadium in 2016, with plans for the switch advancing. On the field, Rudi Garcia has the Giallorossi playing some of their best football in years. Conte said: "Roma are on a similar path to ours. They would have won the Scudetto last year had they not been up against a monstrous Juve. They're trying to get their own new stadium and have made some intelligent signings, but I still see Juve as favourites." Both sides have won their first three domestic games of the season and made winning starts in the Champions League. With Napoli faltering, Fiorentina starting slowly and the two Milan sides dropping points, it could again be a two-horse race for the title -- potentially with a different outcome. "Now, anything is possible," Roma winger Gervinho told FIFA's official website. "We certainly did some good business in the transfer market. "Now there's competition for places practically all over the park, which is good news as we're involved in numerous competitions this year. And, looking back, it was perhaps a lack of depth that cost us the title last season." He added that he believed the Italian top flight was enjoying an upturn in its fortunes, explaining: "Serie A remains a very attractive prospect, as some big-name players decided to come and play here during the summer. Although some clubs have struggled in Europe, we're going to work hard at projecting another image of Italian football."
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