“I played the final of the 2000 European Championships here in Rotterdam, 15 years ago. It wasn’t a great day, although it’s always nice to play in those matches. A lot of time has passed since then, but those tournaments stay with you. Let’s hope we can get a different result tomorrow.

“Toni said it was hard to be a striker at Roma while I’m here? Well, he’s a friend of mine so it’s normal that he speaks well of me. There’s a saying around Rome: ‘while Totti’s here there won’t be another striker’. But I always say how great it’d be for another Batistuta to come here. Anyway, it’s down to the coach to make the decisions. I give everything in training to give the coach a decision to make. If he plays me, perhaps that’s because I deserve it.

“I always enjoy playing, but the images of trouble outside the ground were disturbing for all to see. If serious action is taken, maybe that would resolve the problem, but I don’t know if anything like that will ever happen in Italy.

“A win tomorrow could be a turning point. We’ve got the chance to qualify for the next round, get back to winning ways and gain the necessary confidence to take on Juventus on Monday night. We can turn the season on its head – three points would change everything.

“The substitution against Verona? It happened just before a corner, and let’s just say that I felt a bit like Luca Toni and wanted to score a header. These things happen on the field of play, there’s no problem whatsoever.

“Choose between tomorrow and Monday? I don’t like choosing. Let’s qualify for the next round tomorrow and then beat Juve on Monday. No excuses – I want to win and that’s the end of it.”

Source: asroma.it