Balerdi transforms from youthful promise to Roma's defensive cornerstone with commanding Inter display

Roma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico this evening in Serie A's eleventh matchday, looking to bounce back quickly from the painful comeback they suffered against Manchester United in the Champions League and to stay in the top reaches of the table. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are without Mile Svilar, Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch, while Pierluigi Gollini is not yet fully fit and is expected to give way again to Devis Vásquez. Sassuolo, coached by Alberto Aquilani, arrive without Berardi and Volpato and after four consecutive league defeats. Gasperini is expected to keep Vásquez in goal, with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso in defence. Nahuel Molina is favoured on the right flank, while Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora are set to operate behind Donyell Malen up front. Manu Koné is back available and is expected to start. The probable Roma formation is a 3-4-2-1: Vásquez; Balerdi, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen. The Roma bench lists De Marzi, Kilvinger, Ghilardi, Koulierakis, Lulli, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Castro, Arena and Maccaroni. Sassuolo line up in a 3-4-2-1 as well: Turati; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Candé; Cinquegrano, Matic, Thorstvedt, Doig; Esposito, Laurienté; Bowie. Their bench includes Muric, Satalino, Van der Brempt, Odenthal, Caleta-Car, Obrador, Ghion, Sulemana, Adzic, Lipani, Dominguez, Pierini and Skjellerup. The match is refereed by Di Bello of Brindisi, with Peretti and Scatragli as assistant referees, Abisso as fourth official, Pezzuto as VAR and Guida as assistant VAR.

Roma return to Serie A action at the Stadio Olimpico against Sassuolo, looking to bounce back from their Champions League defeat at Manchester and to record a third consecutive league win. Sassuolo, coached by former Roma player Alberto Aquilani, arrive on the back of four consecutive defeats. Gian Piero Gasperini regains Manu Koné, who returns to the squad after more than 20 days out and will start on the bench, but he is without Gianluca Mancini, who is sidelined with a muscle strain and will also miss the national team fixtures. Paulo Dybala, Mile Svilar and Pierluigi Gollini remain unavailable. Devis Vásquez keeps his place in goal. Roma's starting XI is Vásquez; Balerdi, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, Koné, Cristante, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen. Gasperini's bench includes De Marzi, Kilvinger, Koulierakis, Ghilardi, Lulli, De Roon, Pisilli, Castro, Maccaroni and Arena. Sassuolo line up in a 4-3-3 with Turati in goal, supported by Walukiewicz, Idzes, Odenthal, Doig; Bakola, Matic, Thorstvedt; Dominguez, Esposito and Laurienté. Aquilani's options include Muric, Satalino, Candé, Berardi, Sulemana and Pierini. The match is the eleventh round of Serie A Enilive. Kick-off is at 20:45. Di Bello of Brindisi referees, assisted by Peretti and Scatragli, with Abisso as fourth official, Pezzuto as VAR and Guida as AVAR. The game is broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN, with co-exclusive coverage on Sky, and is also available on Sky Sport Calcio, Sky Go and streaming on Now. Roma go into the fixture with the head-to-head record on their side. They have been unbeaten in 22 of 24 Serie A meetings with Sassuolo (13 wins, 9 draws, 2 defeats) and have won all of the last four. Sassuolo have won only one of their 12 trips to the Olimpico. Roma are also one of four teams still unbeaten across Europe's top five leagues. Their 28 goals are the most they have ever scored in the first ten rounds of Serie A. Donyell Malen leads the line and is the top scorer across Europe's top five leagues in calendar year 2026 with 22 goals, ahead of Raphinha and Harry Kane on 21 each. Rodrigo Mora, who scored against Cagliari and Udinese, is aiming to score in a third consecutive appearance, a feat not previously achieved by a Porto or Roma player.

Gian Piero Gasperini is set to retain the front three of Soulé, Rodrigo Mora and Malen, according to a convergence of the main Italian dailies' probable line-ups published this morning on the eve of Roma's next fixture. Devis Vasquez is tipped to start in goal by six of the seven newspapers, while only Tuttosport suggests Pierluigi Gollini could return. Given the condition of the Italian goalkeeper, the Colombian is firmly favoured to start. The defence is where the picture is less certain. The most popular option is Ghilardi, N'Dicka and Hermoso. Leonardo Balerdi, tipped by Il Messaggero, Tuttosport and Corriere della Sera, and Gianluca Mancini, picked by Il Tempo, remain in contention. On the flanks, there is near-unanimous agreement: Molina on the right and Wesley on the left. There is also no doubt in midfield, where Gasperini is expected to rely again on the pairing of Cristante and De Roon. Up front, the choice also appears settled. Soulé and Rodrigo Mora are set to operate behind Donyell Malen, who remains Roma's central attacking reference. The only dissenting voice is Tuttosport, which proposes Niccolò Pisilli in place of the Portuguese forward. The probable Roma line-up in a 3-4-2-1 formation is: Vasquez; Ghilardi, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, Cristante, De Roon, Wesley; Soulé, Rodrigo Mora; Malen.

Roma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico this evening in Serie A's eleventh matchday, looking to bounce back quickly from the painful comeback they suffered against Manchester United in the Champions League and to stay in the top reaches of the table. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are without Mile Svilar, Paulo Dybala, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Devyne Rensch, while Pierluigi Gollini is not yet fully fit and is expected to give way again to Devis Vásquez. Sassuolo, coached by Alberto Aquilani, arrive without Berardi and Volpato and after four consecutive league defeats. Gasperini is expected to keep Vásquez in goal, with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso in defence. Nahuel Molina is favoured on the right flank, while Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora are set to operate behind Donyell Malen up front. Manu Koné is back available and is expected to start. The probable Roma formation is a 3-4-2-1: Vásquez; Balerdi, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen. The Roma bench lists De Marzi, Kilvinger, Ghilardi, Koulierakis, Lulli, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Castro, Arena and Maccaroni. Sassuolo line up in a 3-4-2-1 as well: Turati; Walukiewicz, Idzes, Candé; Cinquegrano, Matic, Thorstvedt, Doig; Esposito, Laurienté; Bowie. Their bench includes Muric, Satalino, Van der Brempt, Odenthal, Caleta-Car, Obrador, Ghion, Sulemana, Adzic, Lipani, Dominguez, Pierini and Skjellerup. The match is refereed by Di Bello of Brindisi, with Peretti and Scatragli as assistant referees, Abisso as fourth official, Pezzuto as VAR and Guida as assistant VAR.

Gian Piero Gasperini is set to start Manu Koné in midfield for Roma's home match against Sassuolo, after the French midfielder overcame recent muscular problems. The game comes as the club's last outing before the international break. Koné's return is a key boost for a midfield that has been under heavy energy demands during a recent run of fixtures across Serie A and the cups. According to Sky Sport, Gasperini will also rely on the physicality and structure of Leonardo Balerdi and Evan Ndicka at the back, as the defence looks to regain solidity after recent outings. With Ndicka back to full training after his workload was managed over the last few matchdays, the Giallorossi defence regains a key pillar to provide cover and build-up play from the back. The simultaneous inclusion of Balerdi and Ndicka allows Gasperini to keep a three-man defensive setup with advanced wing-backs, balancing the push of the flanks while offering protection both on the counterattack and on set pieces and in dealing with opponents' aerial threat.

Roma return to Serie A action at the Stadio Olimpico against Sassuolo, looking to bounce back from their Champions League defeat at Manchester and to record a third consecutive league win. Sassuolo, coached by former Roma player Alberto Aquilani, arrive on the back of four consecutive defeats. Gian Piero Gasperini regains Manu Koné, who returns to the squad after more than 20 days out and will start on the bench, but he is without Gianluca Mancini, who is sidelined with a muscle strain and will also miss the national team fixtures. Paulo Dybala, Mile Svilar and Pierluigi Gollini remain unavailable. Devis Vásquez keeps his place in goal. Roma's starting XI is Vásquez; Balerdi, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, Koné, Cristante, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen. Gasperini's bench includes De Marzi, Kilvinger, Koulierakis, Ghilardi, Lulli, De Roon, Pisilli, Castro, Maccaroni and Arena. Sassuolo line up in a 4-3-3 with Turati in goal, supported by Walukiewicz, Idzes, Odenthal, Doig; Bakola, Matic, Thorstvedt; Dominguez, Esposito and Laurienté. Aquilani's options include Muric, Satalino, Candé, Berardi, Sulemana and Pierini. The match is the eleventh round of Serie A Enilive. Kick-off is at 20:45. Di Bello of Brindisi referees, assisted by Peretti and Scatragli, with Abisso as fourth official, Pezzuto as VAR and Guida as AVAR. The game is broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN, with co-exclusive coverage on Sky, and is also available on Sky Sport Calcio, Sky Go and streaming on Now. Roma go into the fixture with the head-to-head record on their side. They have been unbeaten in 22 of 24 Serie A meetings with Sassuolo (13 wins, 9 draws, 2 defeats) and have won all of the last four. Sassuolo have won only one of their 12 trips to the Olimpico. Roma are also one of four teams still unbeaten across Europe's top five leagues. Their 28 goals are the most they have ever scored in the first ten rounds of Serie A. Donyell Malen leads the line and is the top scorer across Europe's top five leagues in calendar year 2026 with 22 goals, ahead of Raphinha and Harry Kane on 21 each. Rodrigo Mora, who scored against Cagliari and Udinese, is aiming to score in a third consecutive appearance, a feat not previously achieved by a Porto or Roma player.