Roma failed to book a spot for Champions League as well as Europa League football after finishing 7th in the league last season.
But will have the chance to compete in the maiden Europa League Conference group stage should they beat Trabzonspor in the play-off.
And with Mourinho not downplaying the status of the new competition has described the encounter with the Turkish side as ‘more like a Champions League play-off’ than entry into the new UEFA Europa Conference League.
“I don’t want to make any differentiation between competitions, the next match is always the priority,” Mourinho said on Sky Sport Italia.
“It’s not impossible to approach every game by itself. We are well aware of the difficulties that await us tomorrow, it feels less like a Conference League play-off and more like a Champions League one.
“The team has had a positive pre-season and it’s not easy to rebuild, especially because we weren’t thinking about the need for a left-back or second striker, until Leonardo Spinazzola’s injury and Edin Dzeko left (for Inter).
“This squad deserves to start strong and we’ll do everything possible to qualify for the group stages."
AS Roma will play their first Serie A game on Sunday evening against Fiorentina.
Roma have replaced their departed striker Edin Dzeko with the signing of England international Tammy Abraham from Chelsea for a reported €40 million.
The 23-year-old forward will lead the attacking department for the Giallorossi in the new season.
