Rome (AFP) – Roma players trained on Tuesday ahead of their Champions League semi-final second leg wearing shirts bearing the words “Forza Sean” in support of injured Liverpool fan Sean Cox.

The 53-year-old Irishman was attacked by Roman hooligans outside Anfield before Liverpool’s 5-2 first-leg win last week and is still in a serious condition in hospital.

Roma coach Eusebio Di Francesco said earlier on Tuesday that he was “alongside Sean Cox and his family”.

Two men have since been charged over the attack.

Three thousand police officers have been deployed in the Italian capital to avoid a repeat of the ugly scenes seen on Merseyside, with around 5,000 Liverpool supporters expected to travel to the city.