Baturina and Dybala: the art of painting football — Como vs Roma in focus

Napoli have confirmed that Antonio Vergara sustained a medium-grade distraction injury to his right calf during Italy's Nations League match against Turkey. The club announced that the 2003-born player underwent instrumental examinations today at Pineta Grande Hospital, which revealed the injury to the right soleus muscle. Vergara has begun his rehabilitation programme. The injury will sideline him for approximately one month, meaning he will miss Napoli's fixture against Roma scheduled for 24 October at 18:00 at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. The setback comes during a busy international break for the club, as Vergara was on duty with the Italian national team when the injury occurred.

Napoli will be without Antonio Vergara for their Serie A trip to Roma on Saturday 24 October, kickoff 18:00. Vergara sustained a mid-grade calf strain in Italy's Nations League match against Turkey on 5 October and faces a recovery period of 3–4 weeks. Favasuli is also unavailable after sustaining a second-degree femoral rectus injury in an Under 21 fixture in recent days, and will return after the November international break. Defender Buongiorno, the club's long-term absentee, is not expected back until January 2027. Manager Massimiliano Allegri will be able to call on Meret, Spinazzola, Marianucci, Giovane, Alisson Santos and Anguissa for the eighth-round fixture against Gasperini's side. However, the availability of two key midfielders remains uncertain. McTominay is due to receive medical clearance on 7 October following ablation for a benign cardiac arrhythmia, while Oliveira is sidelined with a strain to his right adductor muscle and is expected to be out for between two weeks and a month.

Roma returned to training this afternoon at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by Gasperini, preparing for Sunday's big match away at Como. Bryan Cristante was absent due to a right-knee problem, while Donyell Malen and Wesley have rejoined the group partially and will be available for the trip to the Sinigaglia. The first international players have also returned to the training ground after more than two weeks away: Mancini, Ghilardi, Lulli, Pisilli, N'Dicka, Koulierakis and De Marzi all back in attendance. The session took place in rainy conditions. Upon arriving on the pitch, Gasperini joked about the weather: "The temperature's changed, eh?". Marten de Roon shared the sentiment, smiling as he said: "I thought it never rained in Rome".

Bryan Cristante, Roma's captain and midfielder, has issued a rallying cry for the squad to match last season's performance and build on it. Speaking on 6 October, Cristante acknowledged a knee complaint affecting him but expressed hope to return soon. "I hope to come back as soon as possible," he said. The midfielder also expressed emotion at the prospect of José Mourinho's return, saying: "How wonderful to embrace Mourinho again."

Roma returned to training this afternoon at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by Gasperini, preparing for Sunday's big match away at Como. Bryan Cristante was absent due to a right-knee problem, while Donyell Malen and Wesley have rejoined the group partially and will be available for the trip to the Sinigaglia. The first international players have also returned to the training ground after more than two weeks away: Mancini, Ghilardi, Lulli, Pisilli, N'Dicka, Koulierakis and De Marzi all back in attendance. The session took place in rainy conditions. Upon arriving on the pitch, Gasperini joked about the weather: "The temperature's changed, eh?". Marten de Roon shared the sentiment, smiling as he said: "I thought it never rained in Rome".

Bryan Cristante has been ruled out following a back injury that forced him to withdraw from international duty, with additional knee soreness now sidelining him for a period. Moise Kean, meanwhile, was spared from Italy's final match of the international break due to an ailment and is questionable for Roma's fixture after the break. The international break brought mixed fortunes across Serie A. While some players recovered from injury, others sustained fresh problems during the two-week window. Across the league, notable casualties include AC Milan's Alexis Saelemaekers, whose ankle injury in training has raised serious concerns: the joint, which has undergone previous surgery, is no longer stable. Mediaset reports he will visit a specialist, with a new operation deemed very likely, potentially sidelining him for three to four months. Albert Gudmundsson sprained his shoulder and faces around a month out. Napoli recovered Alex Meret, Leonardo Spinazzola, and Luca Marianucci but lost Mathias Olivera to a hip strain lasting a couple of weeks and Costantino Favasuli for one and a half months due to a serious thigh issue. Bologna's Emil Holm underwent surgery to repair a torn thigh tendon and will miss most of the season. Udinese's Idrissa Gueye sustained a severe ankle injury requiring three months recovery. Pervis Estupinan suffered a minor knee sprain. Frosinone will be without two centre-forwards: Antonio Raimondo with Achilles tendonitis and Daniel Birligea with a quad strain. Cagliari's Alessandro Deiola tore a meniscus.

Roma resumed full-squad training at Trigoria on 6 October as head coach Gian Piero Gasperini prepares the squad for the trip to Como on Sunday 11 October at 12:30. Donyell Malen and Wesley, who had been working separately in recent sessions, returned to partial group training, a development Gasperini will monitor closely over the coming days to determine when they can take part in full sessions and what role they might play against Como. The squad's numbers swelled as international players began filtering back from national-team commitments during the break. Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi have all returned to Trigoria, allowing Gasperini to step up preparations for the Sinigaglia fixture. Not all players are yet available: Manu Koné is expected back at training from Wednesday. The international break had seen the squad work in reduced numbers, but those early returns have given the coaching staff positive signs ahead of the weekend fixture.

Roma returned to training at Trigoria on Monday afternoon following their international break, with positive developments in the recovery of Donyell Malen and Wesley. Both players completed part of the session with the main squad as they continue their path back to full fitness. The progress is significant as Roma prepare for their trip to Como in five days, though their condition will continue to be assessed throughout the week under Gian Piero Gasperini's supervision. Gasperini has begun welcoming back international players over recent days. Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi have returned to Trigoria. The full squad will progressively return in the coming days as players complete their international commitments. With the Como fixture at Stadio Sinigaglia on Sunday, Gasperini will be able to prepare the match in greater detail from this point forward, with particular focus on securing the complete recovery of Malen and Wesley ahead of the weekend.

Roma returned to training this afternoon at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by Gasperini, preparing for Sunday's big match away at Como. Bryan Cristante was absent due to a right-knee problem, while Donyell Malen and Wesley have rejoined the group partially and will be available for the trip to the Sinigaglia. The first international players have also returned to the training ground after more than two weeks away: Mancini, Ghilardi, Lulli, Pisilli, N'Dicka, Koulierakis and De Marzi all back in attendance. The session took place in rainy conditions. Upon arriving on the pitch, Gasperini joked about the weather: "The temperature's changed, eh?". Marten de Roon shared the sentiment, smiling as he said: "I thought it never rained in Rome".

Roma resumed full-squad training at Trigoria on 6 October as head coach Gian Piero Gasperini prepares the squad for the trip to Como on Sunday 11 October at 12:30. Donyell Malen and Wesley, who had been working separately in recent sessions, returned to partial group training, a development Gasperini will monitor closely over the coming days to determine when they can take part in full sessions and what role they might play against Como. The squad's numbers swelled as international players began filtering back from national-team commitments during the break. Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi have all returned to Trigoria, allowing Gasperini to step up preparations for the Sinigaglia fixture. Not all players are yet available: Manu Koné is expected back at training from Wednesday. The international break had seen the squad work in reduced numbers, but those early returns have given the coaching staff positive signs ahead of the weekend fixture.

Roma returned to training at Trigoria on Monday afternoon following their international break, with positive developments in the recovery of Donyell Malen and Wesley. Both players completed part of the session with the main squad as they continue their path back to full fitness. The progress is significant as Roma prepare for their trip to Como in five days, though their condition will continue to be assessed throughout the week under Gian Piero Gasperini's supervision. Gasperini has begun welcoming back international players over recent days. Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi have returned to Trigoria. The full squad will progressively return in the coming days as players complete their international commitments. With the Como fixture at Stadio Sinigaglia on Sunday, Gasperini will be able to prepare the match in greater detail from this point forward, with particular focus on securing the complete recovery of Malen and Wesley ahead of the weekend.

Roma returned to training this afternoon at Trigoria following a three-day break granted by Gasperini, preparing for Sunday's big match away at Como. Bryan Cristante was absent due to a right-knee problem, while Donyell Malen and Wesley have rejoined the group partially and will be available for the trip to the Sinigaglia. The first international players have also returned to the training ground after more than two weeks away: Mancini, Ghilardi, Lulli, Pisilli, N'Dicka, Koulierakis and De Marzi all back in attendance. The session took place in rainy conditions. Upon arriving on the pitch, Gasperini joked about the weather: "The temperature's changed, eh?". Marten de Roon shared the sentiment, smiling as he said: "I thought it never rained in Rome".