Roma taking things 'one game at a time', insists Fazio

The defender, who spent much of his career in Spain playing for Sevilla, is no stranger to the Spanish club's Estadio de la Ceramica, or the team that plays there.

He knows Fran Escriba's side are full of quality - and brimming with European experience - and is aware the Giallorossi will need to keep their concentration levels high if they are to get the result they want.

“Villarreal are a strong side that play good football," Fazio said. "They keep it compact, defend as one and break at speed. They have some good players that move the ball around well.

"This is a nice ground to play at. They have a lot of experience in Europe – over the past 15 years, they’ve almost always been in either the Europa League or Champions League. And let’s not forget that they too were knocked out at the Champions League play-off stage this season.”

He added: "There are several very good players I know from having faced them when I was playing in La Liga. They put in a great performance against Sevilla recently and probably deserved to win, though it was the other way around in their last match against Malaga.

"They’re a great side with some top players, but we know how to approach the tie over two legs.”

Roma are competing on three fronts as the season enters a crucial phase, but the defender says no-one is prioritising one competition over another.

“We have a team capable of competing in all three competitions and we want to win them all," he noted. "This is a Europa League match – it’s a competition that we want to win, just like everyone who works with us and all the fans do too. We all want the trophy.

“Tomorrow’s match comes first, then we’ll think about the return leg and – if it comes to it – winning the competition. It’s not just a 90-minute match: we have to think about all 180. We need to take it one step at a time.”