Roma’s Luciano Spalletti admits that his men must beat Inter at the San Siro tomorrow if they are to maintain Scudetto hopes.
Inter have stumbled somewhat in recent weeks, yet the Nerazzurri still have a nine-point cushion over second-placed Roma.
Week 6’s clash ended in a 4-1 win for the leaders and Spalletti knows it must be a very different story this time or Inter will be champions elect.
“We have to look to win,” the Tuscan tactician said. "If Inter win it will be almost unassailable, but if we triumph we will be the team who can worry them.
“We have to cut the distance between ourselves and them if we want to have a chance of catching them.
“They are stronger physically, but we need to play our football. We know the way it will be – they will try and manage the game like usual, but we have been able to disrupt them in the past.”
Spalletti has received a boost with the apparent return to fitness of Brazilian stars Amantino Mancini and Juan.
“Mancini and Juan have trained but they still have small problems,” he explained. “We are hoping that the pain decreases by tomorrow and they can play.
“I can see progress in Francesco Totti as he has trained well for the last three or four weeks. You can’t see the benefits immediately, but they will be apparent.
"The next two games are crucial and we are ready to compete physically and mentally. Lots of players seem rested, everything is in order and we are ready to go.”
