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Di Francesco speaks ahead of Roma-Toro

John Solano

Roma manager Eusebio Di Francesco spoke today ahead of Roma-Torino. These are his words:

Who will be recovered ahead of Roma-Torino?
Manolas almost certainly. He has trained the last three days, if he does not have any problems during the last training he will be among those available. Florenzi has a bad case of the flu and we’ll have to see if he recovers. Mirante, De Rossi, Perotti and Juan Jesus will certainly not be available for tomorrow’s match.

Who will start between Dzeko and Schick?
Both he and Schick are in excellent condition. Between Dzeko and Schick, I still have to decide who will start. Edin is perhaps slightly ahead right now – but we’ll see. He’s still getting up to full speed. But I’m happy to have two good options, especially given the way Patrik has been playing.

What sort of reflections are you doing on the transfer market? Do you expect one or two reinforcements?
We’re reflecting above and beyond the injuries, though, these are also important when making certain assessments. I trust the work Monchi is doing a lot. He is looking for opportunities. If there is a valid opportunity to improve or at least help this roster to achieve its goals well, then we’ll try, otherwise we will remain as we are.

The recovery time of De Rossi?
It’s a particular injury, you never know how it responds. He started training on the pitch, I hope that from next week he will train with the team and we will be able to evaluate his conditions. Individuals are all different, but when he comes back, we will really be able to evaluate the state of his knee.

Karsdorp and Pastore gave positive signals against Entella. Are they fatigued or will they be taken into consideration for the starting lineup?
Usually the biggest problem when returning from a long injury is the third game, not the second. Karsdorp could start tomorrow – it’ll either be him or Santon. It doesn’t make much sense making too many changes at the moment, because we’re looking better by the game. As for Pastore, however, I always hear that he moves too slow, but he is not a player who covers a hundred meters in 10 seconds. He’s a player who can progress the ball, which is his best quality so he must be a player in constant motion. He’s getting close to his top condition — it’s normal that it will take some time. 

Kluivert or El Shaarawy tomorrow?
Kluviert is in better condition, so I think he is the favorite to play tomorrow.

Monchi is reportedly interested in Belotti. Do you see him as the ideal striker?
I don’t talk about players that aren’t Roma players.

Nzonzi?
Today he will have his first training with the team after the foot problem and I will assess his condition.

Did Schick take a mental step forward?
The credit is his. He worked continuously in a difficult situation. He improved in training, but I’m not completely satisfied, he can’t be satisfied, against Entella he could have scored three goals.

Match Center

MatchDay 24
9 Feb 12:30
Venezia
VEN
Roma