Montella's View: Five answers on Sunday's big match

“Rome is my home and playing against Roma will never be a normal game for me,” said the former forward, who scored 102 goals in 258 games during his ten-year stay in the capital.

Montella also explained that morale is high in the Rossoneri camp following Thursday's last-gasp Europa League victory against Rijeka.

“I sense something has changed and I think we're on track now. We're trying to shake off the shackles of fear.”

Here's Montella's take on five key topics ahead of the big match on Sunday...

On his ties with Roma...

“It's a whirlwind of emotions for me every time I come up against Roma. Rome is my home and it will never be an ordinary game for me because of my ties to the club. It will be strange not to see [Francesco] Totti playing for them.”

On Roma's form...

“They've only lost one game and they're phenomenal in attack. We want this fixture to be a head-to-head for the top spots - something that doesn't happen often. Last year they finished 20 points ahead of us. We want it to be a real game for our fans, too. We'll find a way to stop Edin Dzeko.”

On Di Francesco...

“I'm really looking forward to seeing Eusebio again. He's a real friend and I wish him all the best – but starting from the day after tomorrow.”

On his team's form...

“I sense something has changed and I think we're on track now. Our third goal against Rijeka was important because it shows how much desire we have and how hard we're prepared to work. We're playing with pride and grit and that's exactly what we were missing. If Gigio [Donnarumma] had saved the penalty the other day, the game probably wouldn't have turned out to be the learning experience it was for us.”

On tactics...

"We'll stick with 3-5-2. I think it's the best formation for us and we've settled into it now. I find it hard to imagine fielding the same line-up every game. I like to weigh everything up and pick the players best suited for each match.”

On injury concerns...

“[Riccardo] Montolivo and [Davide] Calabria have trained with the squad twice and they're both available. [Hakan] Calhanoglu picked up a knock and we'll look at him today before making a final decision.”