Montella previously coached Roma's U-15 youth team, and the media widely assumed that he might extensively promote young Roma players. In his debut match against Bologna, he included Pettinari in the squad; for the home game against Parma, Montella called up Pettinari and Viviani; for the away game against Lecce, Montella included Pettinari, Caprari, and Florenzi among three young players. Among them, Caprari had already "gained fame" in Serie A two years ago. At that time, he was still a ball boy. On January 26, 2008, in Roma's 1-0 home win over Palermo, a ball boy played a key role. In the 57th minute, Roma was awarded a corner kick on the right side. After the ball went out of bounds, a ball boy quickly placed it at the corner spot, allowing Taddei to take the kick promptly before Palermo players could react, leading to a goal by Mancini. That clever ball boy back then was Caprari.
Currently, Montella's status is only that of an interim coach, and he hasn't even obtained the qualification certificate to coach Roma yet. According to the March 3 report by "Roma Sport," the incoming owner DiBenedetto intended to invite Mourinho to coach Roma. During the pre-match press conference, Montella stated, "I won't be affected by the media rumors about Roma changing coaches in the summer. Mourinho is an excellent coach, and his coaching resume speaks for itself. However, I am currently only considering how to lead Roma to achieve good results in the remaining time this season. I repeat, these rumors will not affect me." Notably, before Ranieri was sacked, some media outlets prematurely reported that Montella would soon take charge of Roma. During the pre-match press conference against Shakhtar Donetsk, Ranieri clearly denied it. Unexpectedly, within less than a week, the media reports became reality.
Pizarro's physical condition isn't ideal, and Montella said, "Pizarro's condition is improving, and he participated in yesterday's and today's routine training. However, Pizarro still feels a bit uncomfortable physically. I'm not sure if he can participate in tomorrow's game." Some media suggested using Greco to replace Pizarro's position, and Montella tactfully replied, "Greco is an excellent player, and his performance this season has been good. However, from a technical perspective, there are still many differences between the two. No matter what, we should adapt to the absence of key players, such as Pizarro." Menez experienced back issues during training, and Montella said, "Menez's situation needs further observation. We will assess his physical condition. Menez's abilities are beyond doubt; he is a player who can decide matches. However, we need to consider the balance between attack and defense. He can play as an attacking midfielder organizing the offense."
Specifically regarding the opponent Lecce, Montella cautiously expressed, "Lecce is an exceptionally strong team with very tight tactical discipline. They have many excellent and confident players. Currently, Roma's focus should be on playing well in our own games and figuring out how to secure three points away against Lecce." After the match against Lecce, Roma will prepare for the Champions League away game against Shakhtar Donetsk. "We know that these two matches are crucial for Roma. In the Champions League, we cannot afford any more mistakes. For the second leg, Roma is full of confidence. As for Serie A, I believe Roma still has a chance to fight for the fourth position. Now, we should concentrate on the Lecce match and make decisions based on this game. We should only consider one match at a time so that we can prepare adequately."
Montella expects substitute players to change the outcome of the game. "Whether it was last weekend's home game against Parma or the previous away game against Bologna, our substitutes were also top-level players. I hope that the substitutes can bring differences to the game both technically and mentally. Many matches are decided in the final 15 minutes. Regarding the issue of substitutions, I don't want to create controversies because it could prevent substitute players from integrating into the game." Mexes and Ade are deep in transfer speculation, and Montella said, "I don't know if Mexes has signed a pre-contract with AC Milan. I will only decide the starting lineup based on the players' performances in matches and training. In the past, Mexes' performances have deserved the Roma jersey, and he is an important player for Roma." Regarding Ade, Montella said, "Ade is injured and still needs time to recover. We will not evaluate him based on his past."