Roma will bid farewell to Daniele de Rossi against Parma at the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday.

A club legend, the Italian will make his 616th and final appearance for the Giallorossi after 18 seasons at the club.

De Rossi has played the second-most matches for Roma behind none other than Francesco Totti, who retired in 2017 having played 786 times.

The veteran midfielder plans to continue playing beyond this season, though his desire to do so in the Italian capital wasn’t reciprocated by his employers.

Their decision not to extend his contract was met with fury among the ultras of the Curva Sud, who staged a protest at Roma’s headquarters in retaliation.

However, with De Rossi now resigned to saying goodbye this weekend, Claudio Ranieri has encouraged supporters to give their captain the sendoff his service warrants.

“De Rossi will play from the first minute with his armband,” the Roma manager told reporters during his news conference, per Goal.

“He deserves a standing ovation from the entire Olimpico. It must be a party, he has to have a great game.

“I hope there's an atmosphere that Daniele deserves. I want to see the stadium filled with love for Daniele. It must be a party for him, for what he did for Roma and how he did it.

“For me, what makes Daniele special is how he manages to convey the passion he has for his shirt through his game.

“I believe that leaving was a bolt from the blue for him. I don't know if he'll wear a special armband, but I'm happy to pay the fine.

“I'm glad there's a party for Daniele. I'll leave Roma with an open heart, hoping to always see them be great in the future.”

Sunday will also see Ranieri leave less than two months after returning to the club as Eusebio Di Francesco’s replacement.

Speaking of where the next chapter in his own career will take him, the former Chelsea, Leicester, Juventus and Monaco boss said: “I feel like a European coach, so I'll go wherever there's a project that interests me.

“I think this is a good group of players, with a nice mix of young and old. Certainly we expected more from some of the young players, but it's okay.

“The core of the squad is solid and healthy, and everyone wants to do well. We won’t start from scratch.

“We'll start from a deficit because before we were always in the Champions League, but it won't restart from zero. Instead, we'll start from scratch with a new coach, with his own game and ideas.”