MOST IMPORTANT GAME EVER

"This is the most important game in my career.

"There was another game, a Serie B relegation battle a few years back, but I believe this match beats that one!''

Spalletti is looking forward to the encounter with Ferguson.

"Ferguson is a great coach,'' he said. `Between me and him, there are 30 trophies that separate us.

"The last trophy I got was a Serie C promotion.''

However Spalletti is determined to not be overawed..

"I am convinced that we will make life difficult for Manchester,'' he said. "Whether this will be sufficient, we will have to wait and see.

"We don't have great champions like Manchester have, but we hope to overcome this with team effort.

"If we reason like a team, we behave like one and each player sacrifices himself for his team-mates, we can win.''

He also prefers Totti to Ronaldo but only because he knows him.

"I prefer Totti to (Manchester United's) Cristiano Ronaldo because I know Totti very well,'' he said.

"I know everything about him. He has great quality and little defects.

"Ronaldo probably has the same quality but I don't know him.''

And it seems Totti can't get over being omitted from Ferguson's list of most dangerous Roma players.

"I know this game means a lot to Totti because this is the city where he was born, this is his all-time club,'' Spalletti said.

"I think his focus will be on helping this team go far in this competition rather than on personal recognition.

"It seems strange that Ferguson is unaware of Totti's potential.''