Dessers: Feyenoord not afraid of big name AS Roma ahead of Europa Conference final

Nigeria international Cyriel Dessers has revealed Feyenoord’s readiness to take on AS Roma in the Uefa Europa Conference League final at Air Albania Stadium in Tirana on Wednesday.

The 27-year-old Super Eagle will lead his Dutch side in the final against Jose Mourinho’s Roma and speaking ahead of the game, Dessers is confident with the qualities they have in their squad, nothing will stop them from lifting the trophy.

“I’m really looking forward to it. Playing finals is all you care about when you’re a top sportsman and especially special matches like these against Roma; that goes without saying,” Dessers said as quoted by UEFA.com.

“I’m really looking forward to it and I hope it's going to be the greatest game of my life.

“We are confident. We’re not afraid of the big name of Roma. We are aware of our qualities; we know what we can do. We will have to be at our best, that’s for sure, but we also know if we are, we can beat almost every team. We know what to expect.

“We are well prepared. If we just do our thing and play our best, everything is possible.”

Dessers, who joined Feyenoord on loan from Belgian club Genk in the summer, is currently the top scorer of the competition having notched 10 goals from 12 matches.

Asked about his 10 goals so far in the competition, Dessers said: “It’s a fantastic feeling. To get into double figures as a striker is something you work towards in pre-season.

“When you can do that in European competition, that’s very special. I realise it puts me in a special list of players for this season, [not just] at the European level but also for the club. At Feyenoord, I am moving up the list, which is very rewarding.

“It’s because of the team that I can be in that position and score those goals. I don't just mean assists or passes I get from the team, but also defensive [work]. We want to press so high, which means our defenders are often in one-on-one situations or play with a lot of space behind.

“I might be the one cheering after the goal, but it really is the entire team that makes that possible, as cliched as that may sound. I have to be the focal point and be in the right place.”

On his playing style, Dessers explained: “I think I’m an all-round striker. Many strikers are really tall, or really fast, or [have] other extremes. I don’t have that.

“I can play with my back towards the goal, I can hold the ball up, I can run deep towards the goal, I can score with my left and right foot; when I’m in front of the goal, I don't have any doubts about scoring with my left foot, for example.

“I’ve also scored some nice goals with my head this season, so I think I am quite an all-round player without being extreme in anything. But I can always do better, of course, and that's something I work on very hard every day.”