Luciano Spalletti's pre-Villarreal press conference in full

The Giallorossi have a 4-0 first leg advantage going into the tie - while Spalletti has a full squad available to him, barring the injured Alessandro Florenzi.

Thursday's game gets underway at 19:00 CET.

How hard will it be to prepare for tomorrow’s match on a mental level after the 4-0 win in the first leg?

“It will be tough if we don’t focus correctly, but the dressing room is aware of the situation. If you look at the history of football, it’s clear to see that extraordinary results do happen. Think back to the tie between AC Milan and Deportivo La Coruna, when the Rossoneri lost the return leg 4-0. And how many incredible turnarounds do you see between the first and second halves of a game? As I’ve said, the dressing room is aware that we need to be winning matches and training hard.”

Might we see some rotation tomorrow night?

“The players that have been involved less have proved their quality when they’ve been called to the fore and we shouldn’t forget that it’s thanks to their contribution that our training sessions are of such a high standard. They’re constantly putting the effort in. I’ll switch it around a bit, but you’re dreaming if you think [Thomas] Vermaelen, [Stephan] El Shaarawy, [Leandro] Paredes and [Diego] Perotti can be called reserve players.”

Do you think that the controversy between Leonardo Bonucci and Massimiliano Allegri might open a door for you to take advantage in the title race? How would you have reacted in that situation?

“This is clearly a very demanding spell because you have important matches in Europe and the league all at once. Having so many big games one after the other is something that can cause problems at any club, including clubs like Roma or Juventus. It will all come down to results because ultimately that’s the only thing that matters.

"In my eyes, both sides have everything in place to get through this period unscathed, but you still have to get past your opponents. Sometimes I struggle to find the answers to our own business, so I’m afraid I can’t comment on what’s happened at Juventus.”

Will Francesco Totti and Gerson play tomorrow night? The latter hasn’t played in two months but is he back in shape now?

“I still need to make my mind up on two or three positions, but I’ll keep my deliberations to myself for a little while yet. That said, Totti will play tomorrow. Gerson hasn’t had much playing time thus far, but he’s shown what he can do. You have to look at the bigger picture so I can guarantee who is going to start.”

The bookmakers have Roma down as second favourites to win the Europa League behind Manchester United. What do you make of that?

“I don’t know how things will pan out moving forward or who we’ll have to play in this competition, but I do know that winning is the only thing on our minds. We want to continue to experience great European nights like last Thursday against Villarreal. We loved celebrating with our fans and I want to reiterate how well we were received in the city – everyone was made to feel very welcome. The home side were very sporting and that’s something we have in common. I hope our fans give the away supporters who come tomorrow night the same welcome.

"Our players are showing that their goal is to win as many matches as possible. It might seem like we can afford to focus on managing the situation tomorrow now, but that’s not right. We will play to win and we will look to dictate the pace of the game. That needs to be a habit for us – a constant. That’s the kind of team we want to be. There is a risk that we can look at the game in a different light, but we won’t fall into that trap. We have to look at this as a water break after the first game: we still have to play the next one. We want to take the game to anyone who crosses our path and we want to get through to the next round.

"Italian teams winning 4-0 away from home should be a regular occurrence – those are the performances we want to produce and we will prove that from the off tomorrow night. We’ll press our opponents hard just like we did in the first leg. If we don’t do that, I’ll be disappointed in myself and disappointed in the lads.”

Mohamed Salah and Edin Dzeko look to have struck up a great level of understanding recently. What’s changed in their partnership and will they both play tomorrow?

“The team has dictated the change in their understanding. They’re attacking players but behind them is a great defensive balance and their team-mates are providing better balls, putting together better build-up play and giving away the ball less. Both players are in good form – one is a more physical player who receives the ball into his body, while the other likes to bomb down the wing. The real difference is the team, but of course they have something on an individual level that helps to bring the rest of the players together.

"It’s clear that there is real quality in this Roma team now. It’s a side that can help a player coming into the team to raise their game. The team puts the individual players at ease and allows them to play to their best of their ability. It’s obviously easier for world-class players like Salah and Dzeko, who regularly produce in the biggest games. Both of them will have a rest tomorrow night, but in doing so they run a risk: if the other players come in and do well, they might not play next time either.”