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The Giallorossi face Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico, looking to continue a start to 2017 that has seen them win twice in Serie A - away to Genoa and Udinese.
And on the back of those performances - and Thursday's 4-0 Coppa Italia triumph at home to Sampdoria - the coach believes his squad have sent a message about their mentality and intentions for the rest of the 2016-17 season.
“I have one overriding feeling, which is that we are a serious team," Spalletti said. "We have players that want to go about their business in a serious way. People now know that we’re a serious side. That’s the feeling in the air.
"That’s also been shown by the fact the fans took up their seats in the last game. Even if they aren’t there for the next few matches, the fact they were is still lifting - a refreshing gust of wind. It makes you want to do everything you can for Roma. We’re a serious team and we do things seriously.”
The Giallorossi currently sit a point behind Juventus in the Serie A standings, albeit having played a game more than the Bianconeri. Spalletti's men dropped two points in their first meeting with Cagliari this season, leading 2-0 at Sant'Elia before drawing 2-2, but the coach insists he does not dwell on that slip.
“There have been a host of moments and results where we could have done more and have found things to improve," Spalletti pointed out. "The same goes even when you win. Striving for improvement, that’s a continuous task.
"We want to show Cagliari that we’re not the same team we were when we played the away fixture. They will come up against a team in good shape. Cagliari beat Genoa 4-1. Milan had to wait until the very last moment to win against them.
"Rastelli is a coach on the up - one of many in Serie A. He’s harnessing the qualities he had as a player, getting his team to play with aggression and speed. They have players of an international standing, such as Bruno Alves, [Marco] Borriello, [Mauricio] Isla.
"We want to show them that we’ve improved.”
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