Pellegrini: We'll give our all and see where it takes us

Pellegrini rejoined the Giallorossi in the summer, after a two-year spell at Sassuolo that saw him emerge as one of the finest young central midfielders in the country.

And, after a cameo performance in the opening win over Atalanta, the Italy international is eagerly awaiting a first run-out at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma kicked off their league campaign with a win against Atalanta and you came on in the final minutes. What did you make of the team's performance?

“I thought we were excellent. We stuck together as a unit and battled away. We achieved our objective, which was to come away from a tough ground with three points. We all know how well Atalanta did last season and I think they'll do well again this term. It was a huge win for us.”

After putting in the hard yards in pre-season, now you face your first real test against one of Italy's big clubs. What do you think of Inter?

“They've changed a lot, as we have. They're an excellent side but so too are we. We're playing at home and we'll be looking to win, as we always do. We all know anything can happen in football but we set out to win them all.”

If you could take any player out of their team, who would it be?

“I really like [Mauro] Icardi: he's such a clinical striker. He's the one player I'd take away from Inter but I don't think I'd put him in our team because we already have [Edin] Dzeko, one of the best strikers in Italy.”

We're only one game into the new campaign but what sort of season do you think Roma will have?

“I expect us to get better and better over the year. I know how things work here and I know that if we get a bit of enthusiasm behind us we can be very successful. That's our first aim. Those of us who are from Rome know what it means to play for this club and what winning means here so our priority is to give our all to win every game. We'll see where it takes us at the end of the season.”

You could be involved at the Olimpico on Saturday. What do you think about playing in front of the Roma fans on a big night like this?

“I've only ever played at the Olimpico as part of the visiting team but it will feel very special to play there wearing this badge on my chest. We'll have a huge crowd behind us and that fills me with excitement. I can't wait for Saturday night to come.”

How important are the fans to you?

“They're massive. You carry a lot of responsibility in Rome and there are pros and cons: it doesn't take much for you to feel ten feet tall but it's easy to run into difficulties too. The main thing is we remain calm and create the enthusiasm around us that can propel us forward. The fans are more important than us.”

What can you tell us about Eusebio Di Francesco?

“We know each other very well after spending two years together at Sassuolo. Now we're together again here and I'm really happy about that. I know what he wants from me and I try to do it as best I can. I think the boss is the right man for this Roma side and we'll show that's the case over the course of the year.”