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I wouldn't want it any other way, to be honest. Compared to how some Italian sides seem to have zero interest in European glory, I appreciate that across several managers, Roma has realized its best shot at nabbing a trophy right now is through European cups. That's why Roma won the inaugural ECL, after all.

However, these consistent battles deep into European competitions do mean that important matches late in the Serie A season become nailbiters for more than the typical reason: for example, tomorrow's match against Napoli isn't just a Derby Del Sole. It's a Derby Del Sole where Daniele De Rossi must juggle rotating appropriately prior to an important match versus Bayer Leverkusen with all the pressure that comes from Roma's second-most important derby, not to mention the fact that Roma's hold on fifth place is still precarious despite the last-gasp win against Udinese.

In my book, the most impressive element of DDR's tenure as Roma's manager to date hasn't been him bringing back La Maggica to Rome, though I do love that. The most impressive element has instead been Roma's ability to play the right version of the game against each opponent. Under De Rosi, Roma's tactical approach against Udinese is different from their approach against Milan, and while the latter may not be as aesthetically pleasing, it has often gotten the win.

Napoli is certainly not the opponent Milan is this season, but I'm thinking tomorrow's match calls for a tactical approach similar to how DDR handled the Europa League quarterfinal; perhaps not because Napoli is a world-beater, but because Roma needs to keep some tread on the tires for the Europa League semi-final match next week. The quality of play tomorrow might suffer from success because of that, but if it results in two wins instead of two losses, I'll be happy to keep on suffering.

Huijsen is probably not long for the Roma project (Juventus have slapped a EUR30 million pricetag on the Spanish international, a figure Roma almost certainly can't pay), but his ability to play consistently and with good form will still be critical for the Giallorossi throughout a challenging end of the season. Meanwhile, Bove is still seen by practically every Romanista as a key piece of Roma's long-term project, so De Rossi has a lot of incentives to help the Sick Puppy find the same strong vein of form that Leandro Paredes, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Bryan Cristante have discovered recently.

Suspensions are playing a role in both Bove and Huijsen likely returning to the starting lineup against Napoli, but that doesn't make the opportunity any different for the two of them to impress. Roma needs both Huijsen and Bove to be pushing for starter's minutes as this season draws to a close through their performances on the pitch because if they're not, the goal of reaching another Europa League final while qualifying for Champions League football becomes far less likely.

While I definitely don't expect Ndicka to be in the starting lineup tomorrow, reports suggest he's returned to full training and will at least be an option off the bench for De Rossi. How Ndicka looks in whatever spot minutes he's able to play against Napoli could be an indicator of how much the club can rely on him as this season draws to a close. With matches against Leverkusen, Juventus, Atalanta, and Milan still on the horizon, the healthier Ndicka can get, the more likely Roma will finish the job as the season draws to a close.

Match Details Date: April 28th

Kickoff: 18:00 CET/12:00 EDT

Venue: Stadio Diego Maradona, Napoli