Spalletti not giving up on second place

Luciano Spalletti warned Napoli that Roma will do everything in their power to try and snatch second place on the final day of the Serie A season.

Third-placed Roma travel to AC Milan this weekend two points behind Napoli, with the runners-up avoiding having to go through a play-off tie to make the Champions League group stages.

The odds appear to be in favour of Napoli, who play host to relegated Frosinone on Saturday, kicking off at the same time as Roma.

But a win for Roma and anything less for Napoli will see Spalletti’s side steal second, and the coach is not giving up hope.

“We have a duty to try to get second place while it’s still mathematically possible,” he said in Friday’s pre-match media conference.

“AC Milan are still playing for a European place so tomorrow’s match will be a very tough one for us.”

However, Spalletti has admitted that finishing in a play-off position is not a big problem for the side.

“If the league table stays as it is we have to accept it and stay positive towards the team,” he said.

“Being in the play-offs is an advantage. You play proper matches right away so you can gauge the situation better.”

Spalletti was also quick to play down talk about the future of some of his players. Club legend Francesco Totti is out of contract in June, and the former Zenit boss was reluctant to give anything away regarding his future.

“The players need to be focused on tomorrow so I won’t be talking about the future of my players today,” he said.

Spalletti also revealed that Roma will be without Seydou Keita, Diego Perotti and William Vainqueur for the trip to San Siro.