Di Francesco's pre-match press conference in full

Coach Eusebio Di Francesco held his pre-match press conference on Saturday afternoon, ahead of the Serie A meeting with Sampdoria.

Sunday's game at the Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 20:45 CET.

Read everything the boss had to say about the match, the transfer window, and more.

JOURNALIST: Can you give us an update on the injury situation?

DI FRANCESCO: “The lads who played both of our last two games have focused mainly on recovery work, as we're a bit short on numbers at the moment. We'll take a look at [Daniele] De Rossi today. We increased his load yesterday and we'll see how he gets on with the ball later today. If he comes through it ok, he'll be in the squad. [Diego] Perotti and [Stephan] El Shaarawy will almost certainly make the squad and I expect one of them will start. [Maxime] Gonalons won't be involved.”

What would you like to see more of tomorrow compared to the match in midweek, and what do you want to avoid?

“I want to see more goals. That's important because we're fashioning plenty of chances but we need to finish them off. Considering the number and type of chances we've been creating, we really must be scoring more. We're conceding a few more than we were earlier in the campaign but our main problem is not putting our chances away. It's time we started scoring more goals again.”

Will [Radja] Nainggolan play in central midfield or further forward like against Inter?

“Radja had a couple of good chances against Samp in midweek, but one of them took an awkward bounce and the other one he struck towards the keeper. You get spells like this in football, whereas last season it seemed like every shot he had went in. I'm happy with his performances in both positions – it's one of the things I have to consider for tomorrow.”

Who is the most reliable performer over 90 minutes, Cengiz Under, Gregoire Defrel or Patrik Schick?

“In terms of general form and fitness, I'd say perhaps Schick. He did really well on the right when he came on in midweek. He's shown that with the right attitude he can do a very good job in that position.”

Roma v Samp is the last game before the transfer window closes. Are you still free to pick the team as you please?

“Yes, I have complete freedom, regardless of any talks that may be ongoing. [Edin] Dzeko and Emerson [Palmieri] will play if I think it's the right thing to do.”

Could Emerson play since Aleksandar Kolarov has looked a little jaded recently? And if Emerson were to leave, would you want to bring in a replacement?

“The transfer market never stops so we'll see what we do depending on whether anyone leaves. We have more options at left-back and fewer on the right – we're looking at how we can improve there. Kolarov hasn't been quite so sharp but his fitness isn't lacking. Our main problem is finding a way to do more with the chances we're creating.”

Considering all the injuries you've had of late, do you think the squad is perhaps lacking a bit of depth?

“It's only a problem when they all get injured together. Having two players for every position was good when we were rotating a lot. Then when I made fewer changes and we trained more the results dried up a bit, so it's everything and its opposite. I have to assess things carefully because some players aren't in peak physical or mental condition.”

Did you expect Roma to enter into negotiations to sell a big-name player in January?

“I don't know all the details of the club's finances and I wasn't aware this situation might arise. It hasn't happened yet, anyway, so if anything it's something to be discussed at a later date. I just hope the fans and the Curva keep getting behind us. If the club were to sell anyone, it would be for Financial Fair Play reasons.”

Did something not go to plan during the break in terms of recovery and injuries? Can you update us on Abdullahi Nura's situation?

“The break did cause a few problems and certain things didn't go as well as we'd have liked. Perhaps will look at it differently next time. I'm not sure how many games Nura has played but I know he's been sidelined several times. He's young and I expect we'll send him out on loan but he's a promising player.”

Have you had any say in the matter regarding who the club might sell? Have you asked for adequate replacements to be brought in?

“I don't look after the club's finances but I don't think Roma or I want to lose an important player. I'd never have imagined being involved in a situation like this but it's not my place to explain it. As things stand, Dzeko is available for selection and I hope that remains the case for the rest of the season. In the meantime, all I can do is get on with the job. I wanted to coach Roma and that means doing it through good times and bad. Objectively speaking, this is one of the difficult times.”