Friends reunited for De Rossi as resurgent Roma face De Zerbi's Brighton

In less than two months since taking over from Jose Mourinho, De Rossi has turned his boyhood club's season around with passage past old foes Feyenoord in the competition's play-offs and a sudden burst of form in Serie A. Now the former Roma captain has a chance to test his mettle against one of his closest friends in football in De Zerbi, who is a big influence on his coaching style.

The 40-year-old's relationship with De Zerbi has been cemented by the pair's daughters becoming friends, meeting up in London to watch Roma matches together. De Rossi joked last month that De Zerbi's daughter "won't be wearing a Roma scarf" when her dad's team take on the capital club.

"I get on with him very well, he's been like an open book for me. He's always let me look at everything, from set-pieces to tactics and training. He's a good friend and a great manager," said De Rossi after the last-16 draw. Roma have quickly become a far more exciting proposition than they were under Mourinho, who is beloved in the Italian capital for reaching two European finals is as many seasons and giving their team the steel for big occasions.

Mourinho ended a 14-year trophy drought for the club by winning the inaugural Europa Conference League in 2022 before losing last year's Europa League final on penalties to Sevilla. He was sacked out of the blue in January as Roma's season threatened to go completely off the rails, and De Rossi was seen as a big gamble to replace him as he only had four months of experience at lower-league outfit SPAL under his belt.

However it is so far paying off as another continental knockout campaign accompanies increasingly accomplished displays in Serie A, where Roma are firmly in contention for next season's revamped Champions