On Saturday afternoon Eusebio Di Francesco held his pre-match press conference ahead of the derby clash with Lazio.

Sunday's game at the Stadio Olimpico gets underway at 20:45 CEST.

Di Francesco updated journalists on the fitness status of some of his players, revealed the mood in the dressing room after the victory over Barcelona in the Champions League - and much more besides.

Read the key parts from his press conference...

ON THE REACTION AFTER BARCELONA...
"A game like Lazio-Roma is welcome at this point, because in terms of motivating the lads the match does that for us itself. We will need enthusiasm and an awareness of what we were able to achieve against Barcelona. We need to bring that same determination and desire to win. This match is worth more than three points: it's for a spot in the Champions League, and the derby is always a special game for us."

ON HIS FORMATION OPTIONS...
"On Tuesday we played with a 3-4-2-1 or a 3-4-3. A lot of thought was put into that decision, and it played to the team's strengths. It showed me that this tactical approach can be a valid alternative for us in the future. The 4-3-3 helped us to get to the quarter-finals in the first place, though. On the pitch we will need to bring determination, grit and belief. Without the right mental approach, the formation won't do us any good."

ON WHO WILL PLAY...
"Schick has a 50 per cent chance, along with Cengiz: one of them will definitely start. Defrel and Perotti are both out for tomorrow. Gregoire has an issue with his ankle and we don't know when he'll be back yet. We hope to have Perotti back in the group for Genoa, or more probably against SPAL.

"We also have some doubts over Manolas and Florenzi: we'll see how they get on today and decide tomorrow morning. We need certainty going into a game against Lazio; against Shakhtar we played two lads who weren't yet fully fit and we can't make the same mistake again."

ON THE DERBY DYNAMIC...
"In my opinion this match throws all form out of the window; it is a game apart from the rest of the championship. I'm hopeful that we're coming in with the advantage, but this is a game we have to approach with caution. If we're not careful they might do to us what we did to Barcelona. Constant focus will be absolutely fundamental."

ON THE OPPOSITION STRENGTH...
"We will be up against a very physical team, with a player up front who is excellent at attacking the space behind a defence. Since we often give the opponent some room we will have to be particularly careful. Immobile has Milinkovic and Luis Alberto supporting him, and they are very good at creating chances. Lazio are the best in the league at putting their team-mates through on goal."