Leeds came back from two goals down to earn a point against Cardiff City at Elland Road on Sunday in their Championship opener.
The Whites will be in action again tonight in the first round of the EFL Cup where they will host League One side Shrewsbury at home.
Matteo conceded that while players would hate to admit it, they do find it hard to motivate themselves ahead of a game against a lower-league opposition despite the expectation to do so.
He stressed that it is important that Leeds get the basics right tonight and set the tone for the game early in order to dominate Shrewsbury and win the game comfortably.
The former White said on LUTV: “I think when you are playing against lower league opposition and we hate saying that as it makes them really up for it.
“But we know how difficult it is, the players know how difficult it is to get yourself up for a game like that.
“You should already be up for it but it’s just the way it is and the way it is set out in front of you.
“I think we need to do the basics, especially in the early part of the game – don’t give away anything sloppy, win your headers, win your tackles and set the tone.
“If we can set the tone against Shrewsbury, it will be a comfortable night for us but if we don’t start well then it will give them an opportunity.”
It remains to be seen whether Daniel Farke opts to heavily rotate his team in order to keep his top players fresh for the trip to Birmingham City on Saturday.
