Rivaldo ready for action

All the talk ahead of tonight's UEFA Champions League tie between AS Roma and FC Barcelona at the Olimpico stadium was of the fitness or otherwise of inspirational Barcelona forward Rivaldo.

Thigh injury
The Brazilian picked up a thigh injury in last week's 1-1 draw between the two sides at the Camp Nou, and coach Carles Rexach rested him for Saturday's 2-0 defeat by Primera División leaders Valencia CF.

All go for Rivaldo
uefa.com can now confirm that Rivaldo will be in the starting lineup for this evening's game but coach Rexach has opted for a less attacking formation than he employed in last week's fixture. Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert will lead the line for Barcelona while the coach has added Gerard López to the three-man midfield employed at home last week.

Goalscoring options
The Brazilian successfully completed a training session on Monday but if his thigh does not hold out for the entire evening, Rexach has the option of bringing on either Marc Overmars or Javier Saviola. Surprisingly, there is no place in the team for Xavi Hernández, who impressed as a late substitute on Matchday Nine and was widely tipped to replace Brazilian teenager Thiago Motta on the left side of midfield.

Ultimate challenge
"This is one of the most competitive groups, but this is the type of game we have to win to prove we are capable of winning the tournament," said Rexach.

Roma go for glory
Fabio Capello has also made formation changes ahead of the game, opting to go into a more attacking mode. With Roma desperate to score goals and leapfrog their opponents to the top of Group B, the coach has added Marco Delvecchio to the pairing of Francesco Totti and Gabriel Batistuta.

Attacking trio
Damiano Tommassi will start the game on the bench, with Totti expected to take up a roving role just behind Delvecchio and Batistuta. If there are any problems with that starting lineup, Roma also have an option of bringing on Vincenzo Montella.

Defence unchanged
The five-man defence that served Roma so well in Spain remains unchanged with central trio Jonathan Zebina, Christian Panucci and Walter Samuel hoping to stifle Barcelona for the full 90 minutes this time. "I know they will come to us to win and we must prove that we have what it takes to get the right result at home," said Capello, whose team have not lost at home for 31 games.

Emerson worries
The only minor worry for the coach will be the fitness of Emerson da Rosa. Much will be demanded of the midfield player as he links up with Francisco Lima in a scaled-down midfield, despite the fact that he missed training on Sunday with a calf strain.