Di Francesco: I'm expecting a big collective effort

See what coach Eusebio Di Francesco had to say as he previewed Wednesday's International Champions Cup opener against Paris Saint-Germain at Detroit's Comerica Park.

The game gets underway at 20:00 local time (02:00 CEST).

How are the players who recently joined up with the squad doing, after missing the training camp?

“Well I’m trying to work with all the players at the same time. Because I asked those players to work for at least five days before they joined us, to do a specific physical program, which they did. They joined in good shape, a decent shape, and some of them will have the chance to start the game tomorrow – because I need it, because we are still short of a few players.”

Tomorrow will be the third game of pre-season – and the toughest so far.

“Yes, it’s true it will be a difficult game. The level goes up, but so will ours. I expect it will be a good game, and I expect my players to build on what we have been working on so far. I expect a good collective effort, going forward and defending – my first objective is to have a good and tight unit.”

Tomorrow is the first of three tough games… what’s the objective ahead of this tour?

“My objective is to start the learning process we have been working on and I expect my players to perform at a high level. Obviously it would be better to play this kind of match a bit later on, but this is the schedule and we have to be ready. We always prepare our games to win, and tomorrow will be the same. Obviously it will not be easy, against a team that has changed very little compared to us, and as a result I expect a very committed team effort.”

Do you think the club has a lot of support here in Detroit?

“I’m not sure whether we have a strong fan base in Detroit or not, but it’s certainly a pleasure to be here. It is our duty to export the Roma brand as much as we can, in the United States and specifically here in Detroit, and we hope a lot of fans come out to watch tomorrow at the stadium and enjoy the game.

"Yesterday we had the chance to visit the University of Michigan - which was a really memorable, impressive experience and something that I personally really enjoyed."

You previously mentioned that you can count on a lean squad – is Hector Moreno playing at left-back an emergency solution or a bigger option? And what about the arrival of Gregoire Defrel?

"Well regarding Defrel, we are close to the deal but it is not final yet. With Defrel we want to increase the strength of the team, I want to add to the competition within the squad and give myself a number of different options – because we are going to play many games. Defrel can be both a back-up to [Edin] Dzeko and operate from the right. If he can arrive soon I would be very happy about that.

“As for Moreno, he is a centre-back – that is his favourite position – but he can also play left-back. After Luca Pellegrini’s injury we are now looking on the market for another option, as he could have been an interesting solution for us, but for now both Moreno and Juan Jesus can play at left-back for us.”

What do you have to say about the reports of Roma's interest in Riyad Mahrez?

"Right now I don’t want to have any influence on any negotiations that are ongoing. I can only say that Mahrez is an interesting player, a left-footed player who plays on the right, and we are looking for a player with those sort of attributes."