Speaking just before kick-off against Bayer Leverkusen, Roma executive Tiago Pinto insisted his time aren’t looking ahead to the Europa League final in Budapest.
The Giallorossi sport a narrow 1-0 aggregate lead over the Germans before tonight’s return leg, putting only 90 minutes between themselves and a trip to the final later this month.
“We’re not thinking about Budapest at all,” Pinto told Sky Sport. “It really pleases us that the supporters are here with us tonight.”
“It’s going to be tough and very difficult. We’re 50% of the way into the final, perhaps less. So we haven’t been thinking about it.”
“As for me, I have a few superstitions before a game and I’d be foolish to start revealing what they are now,” he joked.
“It’s good to have routine and I’ve got quite a few of them, but I’d prefer to keep those to myself.”
Finally, Pinto was asked about striker Andrea Belotti, who’s starting tonight’s clash in attack alongside Tammy Abraham.
He added, “There’s so many examples in football of strikers who may not score a lot but still have the full confidence of the manager.”
“A striker’s job isn’t just to score goals. Belotti has the full trust of not only Mourinho but also the entire team. He’s certainly going to score important goals for us, though.”
