Balotelli backs Roma to challenge for the Serie A title

Radio commentators have assessed the impact of Mile Svilar's injury on Roma's season, with analysis suggesting the goalkeeper's absence will be felt heavily in the weeks ahead. Svilar's situation has unsettled head coach Gian Piero Gasperini at a human level, according to radio pundit Aspri. The relationship with Pierluigi Gollini has been rebuilt following Svilar's injury, though Gasperini had wanted Vasquez as second-choice keeper—a player Aspri noted is not yet ready for that role. Gollini has been sidelined for an extended period. The matches Svilar will miss could fundamentally alter Roma's season trajectory. Bastianini compared the news to the impact of Wijnaldum's absence, describing Gasperini as nervous and concerned. The prospect of Gollini facing elite opposition such as Real Madrid raised questions about squad readiness, with Bastianini suggesting that either Gollini must prove doubters wrong or Roma risk a month where ambitions diminish significantly. Pugliese stressed that losing Svilar for a month will be taxing on the team. Roma currently hold the best defensive record in Europe after Arsenal, a standing that Pugliese warned will decline substantially during this period. The hope, he added, is that Svilar returns to full fitness and recovers his match rhythm when he becomes available again.

Fabio Cannavaro, manager of Uzbekistan's national team, has predicted that Roma and Como will be Inter's main challengers this season, ahead of the resumption of Serie A fixtures. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Cannavaro praised Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma for their attacking style and intensity. "Gasperini is extraordinary, as is his Roma: high quality, aggression everywhere," he said. "Man against man always, they don't let you breathe, they don't even let you think—you don't have the time." Cannavaro placed Inter as the frontrunners in his assessment of the title race. "Inter are ahead of everyone. It's a warship. When Chivu makes substitutions you say: 'Wow, but this player can start anywhere and yet he gets up from the bench'. They've won and they're not satisfied. They've filled the squad further. For me they're ahead." However, he identified Roma and Como as the clubs most likely to mount a challenge, citing their combined technical and mental strength. Como, managed by Fabregas, he described as "perhaps the most modern in its essence" and no longer a surprise after their significant summer investment. Cannavaro stressed the importance of context in his assessment, noting that with only six matches played, early standings could be misleading. "The Roma and Como especially, for the strength they have—technical but also mental—though we're in the sixth match of the season, it's worth remembering that. I wouldn't want this detail to be ignored," he concluded.

Ivan Zazzaroni, editor of Corriere dello Sport, discussed his recent interviews with Francesco Totti, José Mourinho and Donyell Malen during an appearance on Retesport. He praised the Friedkin Group's decision to step back from Everton involvement, saying it is good news because they retain Roma and have an important project for stadium construction. Zazzaroni expressed confidence that Premier League clubs will face difficulties having circulated money they do not possess. Zazzaroni reflected on his meetings with the three figures. Totti and Malen both told him "We had fun", though Totti was notably intimate in tone. Of Mourinho, Zazzaroni recalled embracing him at Real Madrid's training ground, which he described as "his kingdom". Mourinho gifted him a tracksuit. Zazzaroni and Mourinho share the same birthday; in the past Mourinho has arrived at their birthday dinner with a gift, and once brought a bottle of wine from 1963, his birth year. Speaking of Mourinho's connection to Roma, Zazzaroni said: "When he spoke about it he got emotional. You could see it in his eyes. He found something important at Roma, a connection so strong that people understood it." On Gian Piero Gasperini's appointment, Zazzaroni stated: "Gasperini came here to win the Serie A title." He revealed that when Gasperini was still at Bergamo and preparing to move to Roma, he confessed his intention "not to warm the bench or play nice football but to win the championship in three years". Zazzaroni acknowledged the Roma squad is not complete and Inter have something more, "but continuing like this, you never know".

Gasperini is navigating a packed nine-match schedule over the next 29 days with a squad stretched by absences, beginning with tomorrow's trip to Como and a midweek Champions League fixture against Real Madrid. Mile Svilar, Roma's first-choice goalkeeper, is sidelined by a lengthy injury, forcing Pierluigi Gollini into his first Serie A appearance for the club. Captain Bryan Cristante will also miss at least the next two matches, limiting Gasperini's midfield options. The coach intends to use squad rotation across both encounters without overdoing it, deploying 16 available players and rotating every department, particularly during the match itself, to keep players fresh and sharp. Changes will be concentrated on the flanks and in attack, where Gasperini plans to deploy his bench—a habitual method of his—and make best use of the wider midfielders and forwards. Ten players have been alerted for potential involvement: Molina, Lulli, Rensch, Wesley, Dybala, Malen, Soulé, Pellegrini, Castro and Mora. Gasperini will apply different structures to each department based on form and opponent; on the flanks, form and the opposing side will shape decisions, while attacking characteristics of individual players will dictate choices there. Each player effectively has a counterpart regardless of experience or age. Santiago Castro deputises for Donyell Malen at centre-forward. With Lorenzo Pellegrini's return, Matías Soulé will rotate with the former captain. The final pairing pairs high quality: Rodrigo Mora will stand in for Paulo Dybala. Defensive and midfield options are more limited, with Konstantinos Koulierakis unavailable and Cristante ruled out. At Como, Evan N'Dicka will start while Marten de Roon makes his first appearance from the beginning. Leonardo Balerdi and Niccolò Pisilli, recently back from international duty, are first changes off the bench.

Roma have released their squad list for Saturday's Serie A match against Como, kick-off 12:30, in the sixth round of fixtures. Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante are both unavailable and will miss the trip. Wesley and Donyell Malen have been cleared to play after returning to fitness under Gian Piero Gasperini. Vasquez has been reintegrated into the squad after being left out until now, and will serve as deputy to Pierluigi Gollini during Svilar's absence. The full squad includes goalkeepers Vasquez, De Marzi and Gollini; defenders Rensch, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi; midfielders Pellegrini, De Roon, Koné, Pisilli and Mora; and forwards Castro, Malen, Soulé and Dybala.

Roma travel to Como on 11 October for the Serie A sixth-round fixture at 12.30 kickoff, with goalkeeper Mile Svilar sidelined by a training-ground injury that will keep him out for at least a month. Pierluigi Gollini will deputise in goal. Gian Piero Gasperini has named his squad for the match. Beyond Svilar, Bryan Cristante and Konstantinos Koulierakis are also absent through injury. The convoked players are: defenders Devyne Rensch, Evan N'Dicka, Nahuel Molina, Mario Hermoso, Gianluca Mancini, Leonardo Balerdi, Wesley, Emanuele Lulli and Daniele Ghilardi; midfielders Lorenzo Pellegrini, Marten de Roon, Manu Koné, Niccolò Pisilli and Rodrigo Mora; forwards Santiago Castro, Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala.