Vitesse has to make up for a 1-0 deficit in Rome after the defeat against AS Roma in Arnhem. Letsch’s team sold their skin dearly in European away games against Anderlecht, Tottenham Hotspur, Stade Rennais and Rapid Wien and will have to rise above themselves again to have a chance. Letsch is confident that his team can stunt again. “Of course we believe in it. We’re only halfway there. If we didn’t have faith, we wouldn’t have had to come. We are the absolute underdog, in many ways. Everything is in favor of Roma. The size of the club, the history and the result of the first leg. It is also just a team with a lot of quality. But being the underdog doesn’t mean you don’t stand a chance.”
The match between Ajax and Benfica had strengthened Letsch’s conviction that surprises can always occur in European matches. “In this sport, the team with the most possession and the most chances doesn’t always win. We noticed that ourselves last week in our home game.”
Based on the match in Arnhem, the Vitesse trainer knows what needs to be improved. Vitesse then had several good opportunities, especially before half-time, but dealt with them too carelessly, a shortcoming that is often punished in a European match. “We must not only create opportunities, but also finish them. AS Roma want to win the Conference League, but they also have the important derby against Lazio on Sunday. Maybe they want to start fanatically and finish that quickly. But if we start well and get into the game, it can go either way. We are one goal behind. It is not an easy job to get rid of that against a defensively strong team like Roma, but it is not impossible. If we win by one goal, we have extra time. Then it might be night work with penalties, but we like to take that for granted. We don’t play until Sunday at a quarter to five and as far as we’re concerned it can be a long evening tomorrow.”
