Spalletti: Porto a club with great tradition and quality players

“Whichever name came out of the hat, this was always going to be a crucial game for Roma – for the team and for the fans,” the coach told Roma Radio, just a few hours after the Giallorossi returned from their North America tour.

“Now that we know who our opponents are we can say that there are objective difficulties to overcome too, because Porto are a club with a great tradition and quality players.”

You've played in – and won – some high-profile European matches in the past. The lads will need to be psyched up properly for this one when they step out at the Do Dragao...

“Yes, I've played there before in the Champions League – when I was at Zenit. It's a fiery atmosphere but it will be the same for them when they come back to the Olimpico. We must be ready and able to put into practice everything we've said before. And we must be willing to get at them right from the off.

“Sometimes I hear people say that summers aren't what they used to be – well, it couldn't get much hotter than this! We must make sure we're up for it.”

Presumably you'll be working on the players' self-belief over the coming weeks...

“That would have been the case anyway given the competition we're playing in and the calibre of the opponents we're up against. It would have been hard to choose because they're all great sides. Manchester City and Porto are perhaps a notch above the others but we have to be ready to take on top-level opposition – and we are.”