Fonseca confirms Spinazzola and Santon to start

The game at the Stadio Luigi Ferraris gets underway at 18:00 local time - as the Giallorossi look to kick on following their 2-0 Coppa Italia victory over Parma in midweek.

Here's what the boss had to say ahead of the match.

How are the players looking with all these games at the moment?

“Good. They're motivated and confident. We have some big games coming up this week and the team are in good shape.”

Are you considering a change in formation with Alessandro Florenzi and Aleksandar Kolarov suspended?

“No. [Leonardo] Spinazzola and [Davide] Santon will play tomorrow.”

Are you worried about your numbers in attack?

“I am worried at the moment. For the games we have to play this week only have [Justin] Kluivert on the left, Cengiz [Under] on the right and [Lorenzo] Pellegrini as trequartista. The management and I are looking around for a wide forward because we need one at the moment.

“[Diego] Perotti took a knock against Parma and he won't be involved tomorrow. I doubt he'll recover in time for Juventus either.

“We've always created openings but we need to work to improve. It's not easy but we must improve our finishing.”

Is Bryan Cristante up to playing two games in succession or is it better to rest him?

“It's better to rest him. He spent a long time out and it's not easy to play two games back to back. He won't play tomorrow.”

How much have you missed Kluivert since he got injured?

“I'm happy to have him back. He was in fine form before his injury and he'd improved loads. He was an important player for us but Perotti has been playing well lately too. I'm pleased with both of them.”

Will Mert Cetin stay with you?

“We've never discussed the possibility of him going out on loan. He'll be with us for the rest of the season.”

Roma don't have any games at 3 pm this winter and no Monday matches after the Europa League. How much of a bearing can the fixture list have?

“I prefer to have 72 hours between games. I don't think it's a problem playing in the evening – it gives us a few extra hours to recover before the match.”

How is Spinazzola looking physically and mentally? What do you think of the way negotiations [regarding a possible swap with Matteo Politano] were handled?

“Spinazzola is fine and he's trained really well. He'll play tomorrow. He's ready and he looks happy. I don't know the ins and outs or how it came about but if the club acted the way it did I'm sure it was the right thing to do. It's true that I would have liked to have Politano here but I have complete confidence in [Gianluca] Petrachi and [Guido] Fienga."

Will you make another attempt to get Politano?

“No, at the moment we're looking at other players, not Politano.”

How are Javier Pastore and Henrikh Mkhitaryan?

“Pastore has started training on the pitch again. Mkhitaryan isn't an option for the next two games but he may be available for Lazio.”

Are you looking to move on Perotti, Juan Jesus and Pastore?

“No.”

Are you looking for a forward in Italy or abroad?

“We're just looking for a wide forward in [Nicolo] Zaniolo's position. That's all.”

The team was very fluid from a tactical perspective against Parma. Does it still make sense to talk about formations?

“I think the most important thing is having a dynamic playing system. I've always been very rigid and stuck to two formations. Here in Italy I've changed around more and that's a good thing. It's not easy playing against teams with very different styles. If I saw that as a problem before, I don't anymore.”

Do you think Italian football is improving you?

“Yes, I think after Serie A I'll be ready for anything.”