Daniele De Rossi shrugged off any potential excuses for Roma ahead of tonight’s clash with Fiorentina just days after Europa League action. ‘We can’t complain.’
It kicks off at the Stadio Artemio Franchi at 19.45 GMT.
You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the LIVEBLOG.
Both these sides risk fatigue, as they were involved in UEFA victories on Thursday evening.
The Viola won 4-3 over Maccabi Haifa on neutral turf in Budapest for the Conference League, while the Giallorossi thumped Brighton and Hove Albion 4-0 in the Europa League.
Lorenzo Pellegrini is rested this evening, but were there other big names who the coach asked to grit their teeth and start anyway?
“Honestly no, and the players who were left out really wanted to play too. They were built to play often, but also when things are going well, you feel the little aches and pains less,” De Rossi told DAZN.
After years of Jose Mourinho protesting about the fixture list and having to play in Serie A just days after the Europa League games, De Rossi bats away the same questions with a simple shrug.
“We had the same amount of time as Fiorentina to prepare, so we cannot complain. Vincenzo Italiano has created a real identity for this team, I admire him a great deal, his team can cause problems for every opponent.
“We studied them carefully and tried to identify where we can hurt them.”