The head coach of Roma, Gian Piero Gasperini, spoke at the press conference ahead of the match against Juventus in the sixteenth round of the Italian league, confirming his team’s readiness for Saturday’s match in Turin.

Gasperini said: "We come after good performances and want to measure our capabilities against Juventus. The transfer market? I am not talking about it now. Tomorrow we have a very important match to try to increase the gap or maintain it. It’s nice to reach this match while being in this position in the standings."

He continued: "Playing against Juventus will allow us to measure our strength and competitiveness. There is always great competition in every city, and this competition sometimes sharpens the players and becomes an advantage. When you beat them, it’s proof that we are on the right track, because even in less successful seasons, they always remain in the top ranks."

Regarding his choice to work with Roma, he added: "Why did I prefer Roma over Juventus? Because it was the harder choice. I am happy with this option. They are a strong team that seems capable of growing more and more, and their nature is always to play with maximum effort."

He continued about his relationship with Spalletti: "We have a friendly relationship. Even when he was at Inter and with the national team, we dined together and communicated a lot. Now with Juventus, we communicate less, but we exchange greetings normally. We are comfortable."

On the individual players in the team, he said: "The most important thing is having a central striker. We have never played with ten players; we always find solutions. Regarding Dybala, we will see if he can start or participate for a short period. He is a player who doesn’t need motivation; he can give his all to play at the expected level."

He added about injured players: "Hermosso is suffering from fatigue. I hope he recovers in time. The absence of Ndicka and possibly Hermosso will force us to experiment. Rincon as a starter? I hope to reduce changes to the team. If I have to move three players to place one, I don’t like that."

He continued about the performance of Soli and the rest of the players: "I am satisfied with him and everyone. The team plays with good spirit and has the fans’ approval. It has skills that the supporters like."

He went on about the new regulations and goalkeepers’ delays: "What I don’t like is the lost time by goalkeepers. The new rule is good, but the time must be adjusted from when the ball is on the ground next to the goalkeeper. The audience wants to follow forward play and dribbling, and the danger is that the play turns into a small, uninteresting ball. We must strive to play forward, not backward."

In concluding his talk about the team’s ranking and overall performance, he said: "The ranking is not a coincidence. We have been good in 15 matches. The team has shown development in terms of quality and defensive cohesion while scoring few goals. Football is beautiful because it gives the opportunity to achieve results in different ways, and there is always room for renewal."