Roma are preparing for the biggest game of their season even before the Serie A campaign starts, as they head to Porto for what coach Luciano Spalletti described as a "crucial" Champions League playoff on Wednesday.
The Giallorossi kick off the new Serie A season at home to Udinese on Saturday, but Spalletti is not even considering that fixture. Instead, he says Wednesday's clash in Portugal could make or break their campaign, before it begins.
"Roma's season officially starts on Wednesday Aug. 17," said Spalletti at a news conference.
"This playoff with Porto is crucial for us and we've worked hard to be prepared the best we can for it. No matter what draw we had got, it would have been fundamental for Roma, for my team and for the atmosphere here."
Italian clubs do not boast the best of records in the Champions League playoffs. Lazio lost to Bayer Leverkusen last year while Napoli were beaten by Athletic Bilbao in 2014. Udinese lost out to Sporting Braga in 2012, having been ousted by Arsenal 12 months prior, while Sampdoria were edged out by Werder Bremen in 2010.
Only AC Milan, who succeeded in eliminating PSV Eindhoven in 2013, have successfully navigated this stage of the competition since Inter Milan won the title in 2010, but Spalletti believes he has prepared his side to buck that trend.
"It's complicated to get through the qualifier and also win the first league game of the season, which is sandwiched between the first and second leg, but we're built to win big games," he said.
"It's a crucially important game and we have got to be ready for it.
"We're away in the first leg, at the Dragao, which is a stadium I know from when I was on the Zenit bench. The atmosphere is special -- very hostile -- but then they have got to come to the Olimpico when they will meet our fans, and together with them we want to cause our opponents problems.
"We've got to do everything in this first game that we've been working on, which means to put our foot down from the off. Roma are made to face top teams and it should be normal for us to face them."
Porto, who got their domestic league season underway with a 3-1 win at Rio Ave on Friday, are also used to playing on the biggest stage and their new coach Nuno Espirito Santo, who replaced Julen Lopetegui this summer after he took the Spain job, emphasised how important the game is also to the Portuguese club.
"Porto cannot go four years without winning a trophy," Nuno Espirito said prior to Friday night's opening league victory. "Every day is important. We train, we play, we play, we train, we recover -- each day is decisive for our performance."