Administrative tribunal to decide Rome derby kickoff time in coming hours

Roma beat Sassuolo 3-0 to move up to third place in Serie A, just two points behind the top of the table. With the league now pausing for international fixtures, Gian Piero Gasperini will use the break to recover injured players, starting with Mile Svilar and Paulo Dybala, who are expected to return against Parma when Serie A resumes. The break will also see 13 Giallorossi players leave Trigoria to join their respective national teams. The international fortnight comes at a time when Roma are looking to build on their strong start to the campaign and keep pace with the leaders. The Italian article also features a cartoon by longtime reader Michele from Oman, published alongside the match report to mark the departures of the national-team players.

Roma's Primavera side were held to a 1-1 draw at home by Hellas Verona at the Tre Fontane, a result that leaves a bitter taste given the team's positive run and the fact that they were held by a side much lower in the table. Head coach Mattia Scala spoke to the club's official channels after the match, admitting the result was not what the squad wanted. "I'm sorry, because it's the fourth consecutive draw we've had at home in the league, and always with a similar script. We had already played in a certain way for a half or a half and a bit, but then conceded the draw. It's a question of mentality, which we absolutely have to overcome, otherwise we risk ruining the good path we are on." Roma have drawn more often than any other high-ranking team, and Scala said this is no coincidence. "We have to improve the attacking side, we make too many wrong choices. We produce a lot, but we score too little for the volume of play we put in place, for the dominance we have over the opponent and for the value of the players we have. We just have to roll up our sleeves and give even more to improve our path." Asked whether tiredness from the many recent fixtures had played a part, Scala rejected the idea. "Tiredness is a mental fact, certainly not physical. There are players who have played seven or eight matches and at the end were still pushing. It's not an aspect to consider. The match had been prepared well and we started well in terms of approach and quality. Unfortunately, it went this way." Among the positives was the goal from Arduini, who is earning more and more space. "Last year he played little, this year we have thrown him in, he gives us dynamism and he is a golden boy, who always goes at full power. He had some small problems that he carried over in recent weeks, but today, beyond the goal, he gave us an extra push in midfield." Another reason to smile came from the first call-up of Valerio Maccaroni to the first team. "This is the most important result. By the way, I have known Valerio since he was 13 years old. When he told me about the call-up he was almost crying with joy and it moved me. Today he played a wonderful match. It is not obvious to experience the emotions he felt yesterday and to come here today playing with the hunger and desire he showed. I congratulate him for both things." Looking ahead, some players will join their national teams during the international break, and the squad has a few days of rest. Scala said the team will then work to restore energy, as another very long and demanding run of fixtures awaits until Christmas.

Both Rome clubs sit at the top of Serie A after 11 matches, with Lazio on 29 points and Roma on 27, a pairing that has never happened before. Opta says it is the first time in the history of Serie A that two teams from the same city have both gone unbeaten through their opening 11 league matches. The table's top two spots are both held by Rome sides, and the figures are being shared as a remarkable start for the capital. Roma's unbeaten run actually continues from last season and has reached 18 matches, one short of the record set by the trio of Liedholm-Eriksson, Ranieri and Andreazzoli-Garcia. Lazio's draw at Napoli cost them the chance to match 31 points, the most ever gained in the first 11 Serie A matches. Only a small group of sides has reached that level, including Rudi Garcia's Roma of 2013-14, Napoli under both Spalletti and Sarri, Allegri's Juventus and Pioli's Milan. The Italian report notes that the table was compiled ahead of Inter v Como, and it points out that the Rome pair's start was not widely expected. Opta's statement reads: "For the first time in history, two teams from the same city (Roma and Lazio, ndr) have remained unbeaten in their first 11 matches played in a single Serie A season. Capital."