Daniele De Rossi says he has "no desire for revenge" when he takes Genoa to face Roma in Serie A on Monday.

Last year, De Rossi took charge of Roma, where he made 616 appearances as a player in all competitions, replacing Jose Mourinho in January 2024.

He took charge of 30 matches in total, leading the team to the 2023-24 Europa League final in that time, but he was sacked just four games into the following campaign after failing to pick up a single win.

De Rossi now returns to the capital after overseeing an impressive turnaround at Genoa, lifting them out of the relegation zone into 17th, though they have lost their last two outings against Inter and Atalanta.

The Italian is facing Roma as an opponent for the very first time, but he says he holds no ill will towards his former club.

"We leave football to one side in normal life. There's been a lot of talk about the game, maybe a little too much," De Rossi said.

"It's a game against a team, and I've already explained how much they mean to me. Denying it or making it some sort of taboo would be ridiculous.

"I want to make a good impression, but there is no desire for revenge. My staff and I wake up every day with the sole objective of saving Genoa. That's our only mission."

Roma, meanwhile, have slipped out of the top four places in recent weeks, and as the last game to play this weekend, they are in need of three points.

They have won just one of their previous four league games, though that was a 1-0 victory over Como in their last home match.

And De Rossi was full of praise for the work Gian Piero Gasperini has done since taking over at the Stadio Olimpico.

"Gasperini will be an example for any team I go and coach," De Rossi added.

"He was the first to bring back a type of football that had started to be forgotten about. He made it more offensive and more modern. He’s a great point of reference.

"We've spoken in the past, not this week, though. There is respect on my part; we have friends in common. We spoke when he first went to Roma. I have respect for him, professionally and as a person."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Roma – Matias Soule

Matias Soule (21) is one of only three forwards to have created 20+ open play chances for team-mates in Serie A this season, alongside Charles De Ketelaere (28) and Kenan Yildiz (27).

He has been Roma's most creative outlet throughout the season, as he sits top of the goalscoring (four) and assist (three) charts.

Genoa – Vitinha

Since MD11 of this Serie A season – De Rossi's debut on the Genoa bench – no side has scored more goals than the Rossoblu in the competition (10, level with Fiorentina, Inter and Sassuolo), despite attempting only 61 shots (the fifth-lowest figure in the league during this period).

Vitinha has scored two of those, overperforming his 1.3 expected goals (xG), while he has had nine of their shots – no player has managed more in that time.

MATCH PREDICTION: ROMA WIN

Genoa have won just one of their last 20 Serie A matches against Roma (D5 L14) – a 4-1 victory on 28 September 2023.

However, the Rossoblu have avoided defeat in three of their last five Serie A meetings with Roma.

Genoa are the side Roma have hosted the most times without losing in Serie A in the three points for a win era (since 1994-95): 18 games (W16 D2). The last time they managed an away win in the fixture was January 1990 (1-0).

Roma have lost three of their last four Serie A matches (W1), as many defeats as they recorded across their previous 14 games in the competition (W11), but they are one of two teams (along with Inter) yet to draw a match in the league this term.

Genoa have remained unbeaten in their final Serie A game of the calendar year played in December in each of the last four years (W2 D2); on the other hand, Roma have failed to win their last three such matches (D2 L1) after recording 10 victories in their previous 12 (D2).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Roma – 57.3%

Draw – 24.3%

Genoa – 18.4%