Di Francesco: Vital we are organised defensively against Porto

The game at the Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 21:00 local time.

Read everything the boss had to say about the contest...

Is it fair to say that the Champions League is your competition?

“There’s still a long way to go, but what I can say is that tomorrow we have a great opportunity to produce a good performance and bring back some enthusiasm. Every chance is important and that’s especially true in the Champions League. There are only two Italian teams left in the competition, which we’re proud about. We need to be ambitious.”

With Moussa Marega and Jesus Corona both missing, what kind of Porto side are you expecting?

“I think Porto have some excellent replacements, such as Otavio or [Francisco] Soares. They have different characteristics but are equally strong – they have some important attributes. Regardless of the personnel, Porto are a good side. They’re compact and hard to play against – they know how they want to play.

"They’ve won more defensive duels than anyone else, which shows that they know exactly how to play as a team. It’ll be a very demanding match from a physical standpoint.”

Will you have any players back from injury?

“In terms of those that missed the match away at Chievo Verona, [Kostas] Manolas will definitely be back, while [Robin] Olsen is a doubt until we can evaluate him tomorrow morning. We’ve lost [Patrik] Schick to a muscle injury. None of the other injured players will be back for tomorrow, but we hope to have them back available for Bologna – I’m talking about [Diego] Perotti and [Cengiz] Under.”

With Daniele De Rossi coming back, is Steven Nzonzi at risk of losing his place? Or can he play in a 4-3-3 formation?

“Regardless of the system, the question I have is whether to play them both against Porto. I’m weighing things up – for me, they’re both starters. They’re important players. If Daniele does well in training today he’ll definitely play, but aside from that everything is still to be decided.”

What do you make of the absence of Marega and what’s your view on Sergio Conceicao?

“I think Conceicao is doing a great job. He did very well at Nantes too. He’s been improving nicely and has brought a lot of identity to the team. They used to pass the ball about a lot, but now they’re more effective in every respect. Marega is a different kind of forward to Soares, who could be dangerous if we give him space.”

Will Nicolo Zaniolo play in midfield or on the right flank?

“I don’t know. He could play in either position – he’s already done that – but I don’t want to give clues about the line-up. I have lots of options. It comes down to the match and opposition in question.”

Is tomorrow more about who puts the running in or who has more experience?

“It’s about the right mix of the two. Running is always important. I often joke with De Rossi – I tell him that at the end of my career, my tongue got longer and my legs got shorter! You need experience because it doesn’t matter if you have a lot of running in your legs – if they start trembling, it’s going to be hard. The key is preparing for games in the right way and if you have experience, you can help the lads to get ready for certain types of game. You need both – without legs you won’t get anywhere.”

Your defence was very solid in the Champions League last season. What’s going on this time around?

“We’ve lacked that. Over 180 minutes, it’s vital that you’re solid – especially given that we’re playing the first leg at home. A good defence is fundamental if you’re going to build a good attack. It’s important that we keep a clean sheet tomorrow, but that doesn’t mean we can lose our identity as a team. We need to defend well, as a team.”