Abraham confident he can work through difficult spell

Thursday’s game at the Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 21:00 CET, with a win for either side likely to prove a huge step forward in the pursuit of top spot in the group.

Here’s everything the striker had to say during his press conference.

You started really well here. The last month or so has been a bit tougher. How are you going to get through this – and also do you agree Sunday’s penalty was pretty ridiculous, and would never be given in the Premier League?

“I think in football, you know, you have times where there are good times and there are bad times. You learn about yourself and your team when you are going through bad times. For me, someone of my stature and someone of my calibre, and also for a lot of leaders in the team, this is the best time for us to show our quality, to show our leadership, and show we can help the team as much as possible.

“Of course, everybody wants to have the best season and to win every game, but you have bad times – and this is one of them. It is about how we overcome this.

“And, as for the penalty decision, these things happen in football. The referees are under so much pressure in games and they are human and they make human errors. It’s not my decision to make, though. Obviously, as a Roma player and a Roma fan, I don’t want to see those decisions go against us, but these things happen in football.”

How are you doing physically? And what do you think of the Roma anthem – we’ve seen you singing along with it before games, so how does it make you feel?

“Going back to the question about the injury with the national team, it’s getting better. Of course I have struggled with ankle pains and little injuries here and there, so it is about how I look after myself. I am player who always wants to help the team, so I don’t like to let injuries get in the way of me helping the team.

“I don’t like to make excuses, every footballer wants to play with no pain and feeling 100% but unfortunately it can’t always be like that. But the physios, the medical staff are really looking after me, and hopefully I will be back to 100% soon.

“Since the first day, I fell in love with Roma. Since the first day I got here. As you can see, when I am on the pitch I am so passionate about the club and the way they have made me feel. They have made me feel like I have been here for so many years. So I have to repay them with performances and by showing that I would do anything for this club. And hopefully it continues.

“As players we need the fans as much as possible to support us. Of course we have to perform on the pitch to show that we care for the club, then again, it works both ways."

What difficulties have you faced changing from the Premier League to Serie A? And what is it like working with Jose Mourinho?

Football is always a challenge – changing countries, changing leagues, it is always a challenge. But the coach is someone I played against a few times in England before. I had the privilege of training with him too. So I wouldn’t say it is tough, of course it is a challenge and it is new and it is something me and the team are still learning every day. But I think once we connect, and once we have learned and mastered his gameplan, then I think we really will be a top team.

"Until then we have to keep working and working hard. We are learning about each other every day. As they say, Rome was not built in a day, so it is something that we need to keep working on.”

Did you expect it to be so different In Italy compared to England?

“Growing up, playing against Italian teams, especially in the national teams when I was younger, that is one thing I learned, that it is very hard to break down Italian teams. So that was one thing I was ready for, one thing I expected.

“This is a learning curve for me, this is a challenge. I am still young. Many players have come to this league and not been successful, as you said. But for me it’s a learning curve and it’s about working out the weakness of the defenders, and then using my strengths against them. So it’s something I am learning every day.

“It will take time. But it is something I am learning. I am not someone to back down from a challenge, so I’m excited. I think there are many good things to come.”

Were Roma caught by surprise in the first meeting with Bodo? And is it enough just to win tomorrow – or do you have a point prove?

“Of course, you go into a game never expecting to lose. You don’t want to lose. The way we lost last time was a disgrace. We are better than that, and we are better than we showed that day.

“So I think tomorrow is the perfect opportunity to set things straight. To show we are really here to fight and show what we can do. They are a good team, and we are a good team – so I‘m expecting it to be a good game tomorrow. If they are at their best and we are at our best, then hopefully we can get the win – because the win is what we need.”

Do you want to take the next penalty you win, like you seemingly wanted to in Turin?

“Well, as a striker you always want to score and, in the heat of the moment, having won the penalty and everything, I felt confident. I wanted to take it. I felt like I could score. But we know the order of the takers, and Jordan Veretout is a really good penalty taker who usually scores penalties.

“I think on the day there was a little bit of pressure, but there is always a bit of pressure on penalties. I hope to get scoring on the pitch and then eventually maybe I will be in a position to take them in future.”