Bah sidelined with anterior cruciate ligament rupture; nine-month recovery expected

Roma stayed in Friuli after their league win at Udinese to train at the Bianconeri's sports centre before heading to England for Tuesday's Champions League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which kicks off at 21:00. The club thanked Udinese on social media with the message: "Grazie per l'ospitalità". The session forms part of the plan to handle the two closely spaced fixtures without returning to Rome in between. In his post-match comments after the win at Udinese, Gian Piero Gasperini gave an update on the injured players, saying the return of Svilar, Koné and Dybala before the international break remains uncertain. Gasperini said: "Difficile. Ci spero. In teoria tutti e tre, ma potrebbe anche essere no per nessuno. Vediamo questa settimana, sarà decisiva." Of the three, the Argentine Dybala is reported to be closest to a return, recovering from a muscle injury. However, his call-up for Tuesday's game against Manchester United is considered unlikely. The Champions League match will be refereed by the Spaniard Jesús Gil Manzano. His assistants are Ayuso and Barbero, the fourth official is Munuera, the VAR is Del Cerro Grande and the AVAR is Fernandez. The most recent meeting between the referee and Roma was the Fenerbahce-Roma draw (1-1) on 10 September, the first matchday of the competition. The first encounter came on 7 November 2019, when Roma lost 2-1 away to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Europa League group stage. The pair also met on 22 February 2024 at the Olimpico, when Roma drew 1-1 with Feyenoord after extra time and won on penalties. Rome radio has praised Roma's current form. Fabrizio Aspri on Radio Radio said: "Su Mora lo stesso Gasp si è sorpreso, il suo desiderio era cambiare la Roma e renderla bella sugli esterni. A gennaio vuole l'esterno a piede invertito e manca anche un centrocampista. La Roma sta facendo miracoli perché è forte, ma serve qualcos'altro. Il giudizio su Mora è super-positivo, ma Gasp non vuole questo per gennaio." Andrea Pugliese added: "Ghilardi sta diventando molto importante, partita dopo partita sta crescendo sempre di più. Gasp mette sempre Cristante e poi gli altri 10. Cristante si è conquistato la fiducia negli anni. E' un giocatore fondamentale per l'economia della squadra."

Roma did not return to Rome after their 5-2 win over Udinese on Friday evening and instead spent the night in Friuli to prepare for their Champions League trip to Manchester United on Tuesday 3 November at Old Trafford. Gian Piero Gasperini's side trained this morning at Udinese's sports centre, as guests of the Bianconeri club. Players who featured the previous night completed a light recovery session, while the others did a more intense workout. Roma publicly thanked the Friulian club for its hospitality through a message on their social channels. The squad will travel to Trieste this afternoon and fly directly to Manchester without passing through Rome, a choice made to save energy and optimise timings in an increasingly congested calendar. Gasperini will hold his press conference tomorrow, followed by a training session on the Old Trafford pitch. Svilar, Koné and, barring a surprise, Dybala will all miss the trip to face Manchester United. Belgian goalkeeper Svilar is scheduled to return after the November international break, while there is greater hope for Koné and Dybala, the Argentine known as La Joya, ahead of the match against Sassuolo on 7 November. Timings are not yet certain, as Gasperini himself stressed after the Udine game, explaining that the week that has just begun will be decisive in assessing the condition of the injured players. Gasperini is considering several changes to the side that routed Udinese. Gianluca Mancini, who was on the bench on Friday, is set to return to the starting XI in defence. The main doubt concerns the number ten position, where Niccolò Pisilli could be preferred to Rodrigo Mora, who scored two goals in a row against Cagliari and Udinese. The switch would bring greater balance and intensity to a game that will also require close attention to defensive work. Soulé and Malen remain fixed starters, both having been substituted in the second half on Friday partly to conserve their energy. Roma go into the European fixture in the best form of the season, on the back of a run of convincing performances and a group that continues to respond despite heavy absences. Gasperini now seeks another test of maturity, this time on the Old Trafford stage, against a Manchester United side in difficulty but still dangerous because of the quality of their players.

Roma are bypassing a return to Rome after their 5-2 win over Udinese, opting instead for a mini training camp ahead of their Champions League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side spent the night in Udine and will hold a recovery session at the Friulian club's training ground this morning. In the afternoon the squad will travel by coach to Trieste, from where they will fly directly to Manchester. The arrangement is designed to help the players recover energy after the league fixture and prepare in the best possible conditions for Tuesday evening's game. The trip avoids unnecessary travel and means Roma arrive in England straight from Friuli, their second European away trip of the season. On the eve of the match, Gasperini is scheduled to hold a press conference at around 18:20, accompanied by a player. The squad will then train on the pitch at Old Trafford. Paulo Dybala's fitness remains a concern: Gasperini is still hoping to have the Argentine available, but unless he recovers in extremis, La Joya is expected to miss the trip to England. The aim is to build on the big win in Udine against one of Europe's most prestigious venues.