5 reasons Roma can win the Champions League

2. Roma are the only team that can’t let up in domestic play

At this point in the season, Roma are effectively playing for only one trophy. Juventus are 21 points above them in the Serie A table, and the Romans currently sit fourth in a tie with their crosstown rivals, Lazio. Domestic glory is going to have to wait for another season at this point.

But if Roma want to get back to the Champions League next season, they can’t let up at any point. Roma should benefit from their inability to turn their level of intensity down.

Everyone else still in the tournament has the option to coast through play back on the home front. Roma are in a dogfight just to remain in a top-four position in Serie A. If they can’t stay up in league play, getting back to the Champions League in 2018-19 is going to depend on whether the Romans claim a spot in the final and book automatic passage as the defending champion.

Though they’re plenty wealthy as a club, Roma simply don’t have the same quality of roster that they’re able to trot out various lineups for various competitions. Instead, Roma’s success is dependent on their best players playing together as frequently as possible.

The familiarity has gotten Roma this far. It could pay off even more over the next few weeks as the Italians push for another upset in the semifinals. The desperation in domestic play should seep into the energy Roma bring to the Champions League pitch.

While Real Madrid, Liverpool and Bayern Munich all have the luxury of modulating their energy, Roma must remain up until things conclude in the 2017-18 campaign. That could be the winning difference in this year’s Champions League.