Di Francesco's pre-Atletico Madrid press conference in full

The Giallorossi welcome Diego Simeone's side to the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday evening - and Di Francesco is well aware of the challenge that awaits.

"First and foremost I’d like to see a determined side that shows desire to get the result," Di Francesco said, when asked what he wants from his side. "It’s going to be a footballing battle and I hope we do well.

"Roma haven’t had much success in Europe in recent years, so we need to get off to a good start. Given that it’s our first game, it could be a decisive match in terms of our qualification hopes."

What do you make of Diego Simeone’s football philosophy?

"Simeone’s side have a very clear identity. It’s less attractive, more practical, but it always achieves results. They’ve reached two Champions League finals and that’s not somewhere you get by chance. They have great mental and physical attributes. In order to compete with them, we’ll need to match their style while staying true to our football identity."

Do you still have any doubts regarding Alessandro Florenzi and Bruno Peres?

"There are always doubts – it’s part of each day. The team is training very well. We have to think as a team: that’s one of the things I’m trying to establish as the basis of our identity. As for Peres and Florenzi, I’ve not made any decisions yet. I have to weigh a few things up. In terms of [Patrik] Schick, I’m pleased that the injury isn’t as serious as we feared. I hope to have him back for our next league match, or the one after that."

What kind of playing philosophy will we see from your side tomorrow?

"I want the side to be very well organised, stay nice and tight, play as a team and be competitive in every aspect of the game. It doesn’t matter whether we’re high up the field or deep – we just need to stay compact and keep it tight both going forward and in defence."

How is Hector Moreno?

"He’s good. He played 90 minutes with the national team. He had a few muscle problems when he started training, but now he’s getting back to normal."

Was it a good thing or a bad thing not to have to play against Samp?

"It might be a bonus in terms of our preparation for the Atleti game, but who knows when we’re going have to catch up with that game in the league. Any advantage is relative. Lots of the Atletico players didn’t play in their last game against Valencia, so many of their starting eleven will have been able to get a rest."

How are you going to neutralise Atletico’s competitive instincts?

"We’ve prepared a few things to cause them problems. We’ve focused on our own ideas – our own game – and we hope to hit them in their weak spots. In terms of it being a battle, we need to match them in that respect. We won’t get anywhere unless we do that. [Kevin] Strootman is a leader, both on the training pitch and in games. He’s a decisive player who can drive the team forward and provide inspiration. We’ll need players like him tomorrow – I’m counting on the experience of many of my players. We need to show character against Atletico. That will give us another weapon."

There’s not much media attention on Roma at the moment. How are you finding the situation?

"We lost our last game and then the Samp game was postponed, so it’s to be expected. Perhaps it would be different had we played and got a win at the weekend. Let’s focus on playing tomorrow’s game, then people will start talking about us again. If we play the way we did against Inter, apart from the last 20 minutes, we can do well. We need to make sure things start going our way."

How is Diego Perotti doing?

"Diego Perotti had an extraordinary game against Inter, not just technically but on a physical level too. He ran more than any other player. He’s been working extensively with me since Pinzolo and that’s not a coincidence. He’s changed the way he plays so that he’s closer to the striker and the goal, and I hope that he can get some joy from that. Let’s not forget that we have [Stephan] El Shaarawy too who is just back to full fitness and means we have two top players in that position. Perotti needs to score more goals – if he does, the narrative around him will change."