Source: SKY_Sports
Hodgson - Knives won't be out
Roy Hodgson does not believe the knives will be out for Fulham when they tackle Italian side Roma in the Europa League.
The Cottagers were drawn against the Giallorossi in Group E of this year's revamped competition along with Basel and CSKA Sofia.
Crowd violence between opposing fans has marred Roma's matches with English clubs, most notably, Manchester United and Chelsea, over the last two years.
While Hodgson has admitted Roma's fans can be very dangerous, he believes the bulk of their hostility will be reserved for when their great rivals are in town.
"I think that the fan violence is mostly prevalent when they play their local derby against Lazio or when Juventus or Inter or Milan are the visiting teams," stated Hodgson.
"I can't imagine that at this stage of the competition a team like Fulham or a team like Basel or Sofia going to engender the type of hatred that will get their fans sharpening their knives, because that's what they do over there.
"There is no doubt that they do have a very dangerous bunch of fans. A Roma-Lazio derby is not a place for the faint hearted."
Fulham just returned to England following their 1-0 defeat to Russia outfit Amkar Perm, although they progressed 3-2 on aggregate.
Hodgson has conceded the five-hour 2,250-mile flight from Eastern Europe has taken its toll ahead of their weekend clash against Aston Villa.
"It will be tough this weekend because the players I have returning from injury are battling to be fit and I don't know quite how many will make it," he continued.
"It was a long flight and we were there a long time. We had a five-hour time difference to deal with even though I thought we dealt with it in the most intelligent way possible by keeping our watches on British time but it's not always easy to sleep when the sun is creeping in through your window."
