Eusebio Di Francesco has urged Roma to ‘put our heart in first and then our head’ against Lazio and ‘expects a lot’ from Nicolo Zaniolo on Saturday.
The Derby della Capitale kicks off at 19:30 GMT tomorrow – click here for a preview.
“We need commitment, passion and a big heart,” Di Francesco said at a Press conference.
Eusebio Di Francesco has urged Roma to ‘put our heart in first and then our head’ against Lazio and ‘expects a lot’ from Nicolo Zaniolo on Saturday.
The Derby della Capitale kicks off at 19:30 GMT tomorrow – click here for a preview.
“We need commitment, passion and a big heart,” Di Francesco said at a Press conference.
“Indeed, we put our heart in first and then our head. Both the 4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1 have given us positive and negative feelings
“We’ve had a great week of work. All my players all want to take part in this great and unique match.
“It’s a very emotive derby because there’s pressure on both teams. It’ll be a very delicate match
“Manolas? We thought he had something more serious. Lazio are very good at reversing situations.
“They have a lot of quality and in Correa, they have someone very good at one-on-ones. De Rossi’s still a bit of a question mark but he’s getting better and found continuity in training.
“Nicolo must be focused and ruthless. I told him a bit about the derby. His teammates are thinking about him.
“He’ll be one of our leading lights and we expect a lot from him, but we’ll leave him be. The derby is a match in itself. I lost four derbies in a row and I know anything can happen.”
Dzeko has managed just seven League goals this season, while the Giallorossi need to win 11 of their remaining 13 games to at least equal their haul of 77 points last season.
“His lack of goals in Serie A is odd because he’s scored in the Champions League, but I'm happy with what he’s doing,” added the Coach.
“His physical condition has improved a lot. I’ll be happy if he scores because he needs to, but if he plays well then that’s enough for me.
“If he plays well and the team win, he’ll be happy too. I don’t like making up excuses. Roma have the number of points they deserve to have.”