Brighton and Hove Albion boss Roberto De Zerbi said that he was proud to take his Seagulls side to his home country for the Europa League clash with AS Roma.
De Zerbi said that he was happy at Brighton but he knew that he would return to Italy to manage there one day.
The Italian is due back in his homeland tomorrow (Thursday 7 March) with the Seagulls to play Roma in the first leg of the round of 16.
The 44-year-old has caught the eye of several clubs after leading Brighton to sixth in the Premier League last season and into Europe for the first time.
He told a press conference: “I do what makes me happy and right now I am happy where I am. It makes me happy when we win but also when we lose.
“One day I will return to Italy but I don’t know when that day will come.”
Albion have struggled to repeat the successes of last season and go into the game at the Stadio Olimpico on the back of a 3-0 defeat at Fulham at the weekend.
But De Zerbi said that he was “very proud to be back in my country with my team”.
He added: “This is a team I really love. This is a team who can be beaten 3-0 but always fight back. They play with pride and hunger and I am very proud of this team.
“We will give it a go. We will be humble. We know what we have done in the last year and a half. This is unprecedented for this club and we are making history.”
Brighton’s German midfielder Pascal Gross is also excited about the prospect of playing in Rome.
He said: “It’s a beautiful city. Gladiator is one of my favourite movies. We are very excited about tomorrow.
“We will be humble but will want to do something special.”
