Spalletti: Playing defensively would guarantee Roma lose to Juventus

Luciano Spalletti is adamant Roma will stay true to their attacking instincts or face certain defeat when they face Juventus on Saturday. 

Roma are trailing the Serie A leaders by four points and will be looking to fire a statement of intent by closing the gap with a result.

However, Spalletti knows a defeat would be a major blow for their title ambitions and feels they are guaranteed to lose if they set out to defend.

"Saturday's game is a crucial one for us," the trainer told reporters. "If we go to Turin to defend, we are certain to lose.

"Therefore, we have to lay the right foundations from which we can play to our strengths.

"Our objective is to ensure that the return match in Rome will be a decisive one for the title.

"We need to make sure that we cope well with their attacks and show our own qualities.

"It is very simple, really".

Juventus have dominated the league in recent years and Spalletti has made it clear the Scudetto holders are an example to follow for Roma.

"Juventus have been excellent at maintaining the very high standards they have set, showing great strength and securing top results along the way," he added.

"They are one of the reasons why today you need 100 points to win the Scudetto. For us, looking at Juve helps to drive us on and always do better".