Roma director Monchi wants to see the “right mentality” against Qarabag, is impressed by Lorenzo Pellegrini and hopes for a draw in Madrid.

It kicks off in Baku at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), follow the build-up and action on the LIVEBLOG.

“Hopefully we can dedicate a victory to Francesco Totti. Happy Birthday, Captain!” Monchi told Mediaset Premium.

Roma director Monchi wants to see the “right mentality” against Qarabag, is impressed by Lorenzo Pellegrini and hopes for a draw in Madrid.

It kicks off in Baku at 17.00 UK time (16.00 GMT), follow the build-up and action on the LIVEBLOG.

“Hopefully we can dedicate a victory to Francesco Totti. Happy Birthday, Captain!” Monchi told Mediaset Premium.

As it is Totti's 41st birthday, the Giallorossi legend has not flown to Azerbaijan with the squad, remaining to celebrate with friends and family in Rome.

“We must step on to the field with a winning mentality. We are facing a small club, but they have great hopes of impressing in the group. If we don’t have the right mentality, we’ll run into problems.

“I think it’s logical and only normal to rotate the squad. When we started the transfer strategy, the idea was to have many players available for every role.

“Lorenzo Pellegrini really impressed me. The two years he spent at Sassuolo helped him to grow and not be afraid of playing for Roma. He has immense potential, so Roma and the Italy squad have a player they can count on in the future.

“If we want to be a big club, we’ve got to go as far as possible in all competitions: Serie A, Champions League and Coppa Italia. We mustn’t snub any of them.”

This evening, Atletico Madrid and Chelsea go head-to-head in the other group game.

“In my view, Atletico Madrid are slight favourites to finish ahead of Chelsea, but they are two great teams, so it’s hard to say. I hope they draw tonight, as that would be the best result for us.”

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