De Rossi: We'll face Liverpool like we took on Barca and Shakhtar

The Giallorossi were drawn against the Premier League side for a place in the final when the draw took place on Friday afternoon.

The other semi-final will see Real Madrid and Bayern Munich lock horns again.

“We have seen the draw now and, it would have changed little whoever we had got," De Rossi said.

"At this level all the teams – Liverpool, Bayern, Real Madrid – are great sides, incredible. Liverpool have made a statement, similar to ours, knocking out the team that I thought might be the favourites to win it all, Manchester City.

"They have a coach whose approach I love. We respect them, of course, just as we did Barcelona and Shakhtar – but we will have our chances."

Despite all the public attention on the draw, De Rossi was quick to point out that the playing squad were focused solely on Sunday's derby clash against Lazio.

"We have a huge game on Sunday, one that means a lot especially for the fans, and one that is also incredibly important this time not just for the city bragging rights but for the league standings," he noted.

"It’s a game that has to take us away from the excitement of the other night. It’s a game that is still huge for the fans, but we are on the right path as we go into the game."

The 34-year-old was asked about his leadership role within the first-team squad, as captain, longest-serving and most experienced player.

The midfielder brushed off suggestions he had a particularly important role to play.

"If we don’t play well in these last eight or nine games, then once way or another we won’t play in the Champions League again – so we need to make sure we play well," he said.

"The guys don’t need a captain who shouts, who demands; my teammates have all shown that they can play in big games with great mental strength. We had a few missteps at the start of the year, we struggled a bit, but we fought hard to get out of the rut.

"No-one needs motivating, they are all great professionals.”