Di Francesco's pre-Chievo press conference in full

The game at the Bentegodi gets underway at 12:30 CET.

“We're through to the last 16 of the Champions League but now we have a difficult match and we want to come away with three points," Di Francesco said. "Chievo is always a tough place to go – they're strong in all areas and they showed that against Napoli.

"It's going to be very difficult but we must start winning again on the road after drawing with Genoa last time. It's a big match for us – not decisive, but after an excellent result in the Champions League we now need a top performance against Chievo to keep pushing on.”

How many players will you change considering you played five days ago?

“I'm keeping my cards close to my chest for this one – even more than usual. I want to keep all my players on their toes and fully focused, especially after the euphoria in midweek. We mustn't lower our guard. The players don't even know who's going to play themselves and I'll keep the line-up to myself until tomorrow morning. I want everyone to feel important, that they're all potential starters and stay focused.”

Edin Dzeko has played every game so far and Aleksandar Kolarov has only missed one. Might they be rested tomorrow?

“We'll see. They could play again. I don't think I need to rotate just for the sake of it. We played on Tuesday and five days is plenty of time to recover. The only ones who didn't train fully this week are [Diego] Perotti and [Alessandro] Florenzi. Everyone else has trained very well.”

What about Patrik Schick? Could this be the right time for his first start?

“I'm not going to tell you whether or not he'll play but he's certainly capable of playing from the off. I've always maintained that he didn't have 90 minutes in him but he's in my thoughts for a starting berth tomorrow. I'm not sure where yet but he could be in the starting line-up.”

President Pallotta has said the new stadium is crucial for the club's future growth. How far along is your team in terms of its growth?

“You need to be able to compete if you want to put together a good team and to do that you need great facilities behind you – that's why the stadium is such an important step forward for us. As for how far we've come, that's something we still need to prove. We're improving and we've had some great results so far but that's not enough for us to be able to say we've become a real force on the domestic or the international scene. It's too early to draw any conclusions. We're on the right track but we have to keep going. If we want to keep growing, I need all of my players to feel important.”

Yesterday Monchi said you and he struck a chord from your very first meeting. What do you think impressed him?

“We talk a lot but not about that meeting. He was looking for a coach with a method and I was very clear about what I do. I was direct. I can't tell you exactly what it was that he liked about me, though.”

Lorenzo Pellegrini was back to his best against SPAL. Is he ready to start tomorrow? How are Kevin Strootman and Radja Nainggolan doing?

“Nainggolan and Strootman are doing great and Pellegrini is too. I'll decide the team tomorrow. The fact that Lorenzo is back to his best is partly down to the fact that he scored – that's what happened to Strootman too. Players need positive feelings and there's nothing better than a goal for that. I've always considered Pellegrini to be an important player, both because of his age and what he's been doing. He could start tomorrow or come on as a sub.”

Do you think Roma's growth on the international scene has had an influence on the players' recent contract renewals?

“Our footballers want to stay at Roma. This is a club where lots of players would love to be so I'm not surprised they renewed. They're all very much a part of our plans, they believe we can keep growing and they want to achieve success here. I never talk about these things with my players, though. Regardless of their contract situation I just want to get the best out of them. That's something I told Monchi clearly from the start: I don't pick the team based on the length of my players' contracts, only on what I think they can give me on the pitch.”

Allegri keeps saying Roma are in the mix for the title whereas you prefer to keep your feet on the ground. Which one of you is having us on?

“He's enjoyed a lot of success in recent years so it's easy for him to talk about us. I can't afford to get carried away. Everyone wants to win things but it's still early days. There are lots of areas where we must improve. If we were top, perhaps we might be able to talk about this differently but we're still playing catch-up. I think I'm right to keep my feet on the ground because I realise we sometimes need to douse enthusiasm in this city. What we can do is excite the fans through our performances and by scoring goals – although that doesn't necessarily mean you always win.”

What's changed for Roma internationally speaking compared to recent years?

“I wasn't here in previous seasons but the numbers say we've done better than in the past. What we've achieved so far is good but it doesn't end here. We're in the last 16 and we don't know who we'll have to play yet. As I've said before, we mustn't settle for what we've done, regardless of who we're pitted against. We must be ambitious and keep trying to do better.”

How are Monchi's working methods different to those of Italian sporting directors?

“I've worked with lots of great sporting directors but until now I've always worked at small or medium-sized clubs. Monchi's mentality and his knowledge of international players really are impressive. We discuss different players' ability but we'll always go for players we both like. We have a shared strategy and it's always been very clear from the start. I like the way he works, his desire to be around the team all the time and the fact he always wants to know my thoughts and impressions.”

Who will you be rooting for when Juventus play Inter tonight?

“I always hope for a draw. Juventus are really tough to beat at home but Inter are doing extremely well. It will be a great match and we'll enjoy watching it on TV.”

Is Emerson Palmieri ready to start a game?

“He's improving and training really well. I'm keeping a close eye on him. You'll see him in the starting line-up at some point over the next week to 10 days.”

Bruno Peres has disappeared since the game against Atletico. How's he been looking in training?

“We've only played three matches since then and he was suspended for one of them. There's a very good chance he'll start tomorrow. I have to make choices. I have two right-backs and I decide based on the team we're playing against.”