Roma have injury problems for their trip to Genoa, admits Luciano Spalletti, who is concerned with the “battling spirit” at Marassi.
The Serie A clash kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
As always, the Coach started off his Press conference with an update on the treatment room.
“We only have Alessandro Florenzi continuing his recovery. Thomas Vermaelen has this soleus muscle issue and it’s a risky one, so he will be left out.
Roma have injury problems for their trip to Genoa, admits Luciano Spalletti, who is concerned with the “battling spirit” at Marassi.
The Serie A clash kicks off on Sunday at 14.00 GMT, click here for a match preview.
As always, the Coach started off his Press conference with an update on the treatment room.
“We only have Alessandro Florenzi continuing his recovery. Thomas Vermaelen has this soleus muscle issue and it’s a risky one, so he will be left out.
“Francesco Totti has an inflammation in the right Achilles tendon. Today he will train separately and we’ll evaluate whether or not he can participate in this trip.”
Kostas Manolas is “not 100 per cent fit either, but I’ll take him at 50 per cent,” while Mohamed Salah is on Africa Cup of Nations duty.
The Giallorossi face a tricky journey to Genoa, where Juventus and Milan have already been beaten heavily this season.
“When you look back over the games Genoa have played, you can see where strong teams have struggled. You look at their home fixtures against Juventus, Fiorentina and Milan, seeing just how good they are.
“Genoa did well to maintain the same mentality when passing on from Gian Piero Gasperini to Ivan Juric, while tactically they are smart in adapting to the opposition.
“The style of football also sparks enthusiasm in the Genoa fans, as they almost man-mark, creating an individual battle all over the pitch. It stimulates the supporters and that battling spirit is stirred up at Marassi. That is the biggest danger for us.”
With regards to the atmosphere in Genoa’s English-style stadium, Spalletti warned that talk of copying the Premier League’s winter fixtures is putting the horse before the cart.
“If we want to bring fans back to the stadium, then we should revamp the arenas. It is insufficiently comfortable for someone to come and watch a game in Italy, because families do want to come and participate in the spectacle. Roma are run by Americans, who can always teach us something about the spectacle of sport.
“If a Japanese fan turns on the TV and doesn’t know much about football, he’ll watch the English game and not the Italian one. The passion of sports fans in the stadium is the message that gets through to the sofa of a viewer in Japan.
“We also have to respect the sacrifices of those people who set money aside to buy tickets and attend games. We have to build new stadiums, starting with Roma.
“The buy I want to make in January is the removal of the barriers at the Stadio Olimpico and consequent return of the Roma fans. We need them.”