Spalletti praise for ton-up Totti

Francesco Totti will make his 100th appearance in European competitions when Roma host Austria Vienna in the Europa League on Thursday.

Roma have four points from their opening two matches in Group E and head coach Luciano Spalletti is ready to hand the 40-year-old club icon a landmark outing after he completed 90 minutes in the 4-0 win over Astra.

"Totti has scored 99 goals with me as coach," Spalletti told a pre-match news conference.

"I really want him to make it to 100, no one would be as pleased as me. Tomorrow will also be his 100th game in European competitions.

"Francesco Totti will play because we believe he can be decisive for us. He's playing."

Totti was an unused substitute as Roma claimed an impressive 3-1 win at Napoli on Saturday, with in-form striker Edin Dzeko netting a brace.

The triumph lifted Roma up to second place in Serie A but Spalletti insists his players must not rest on their laurels.

"You find out the character of a man when you discover what makes him satisfied," he said.

"If a good win makes you feel peaceful and satisfied, then you don't have the right character and everything will be more difficult.

"We don't step back from the level we've reached; we start again from there. Anyone who makes a backward step is in trouble.

"It will be difficult to go higher but this is our path and we have to go down it."