Benitez: Roma can score four against anyone, but winning at Manchester is never easy

Gian Piero Gasperini is set to reshape Roma for tonight's Champions League clash away at Manchester United, with Bryan Cristante potentially moving into the attacking midfield role behind the front line. Il Messaggero's Daniele Aloisi reports that Niccolò Pisilli would take Cristante's place in midfield alongside Marten de Roon. The match marks the halfway point of the Champions League league phase. Cristante is expected to operate in the number ten area, although a start for Rodrigo Mora cannot be ruled out. Donyell Malen and Matías Soulé remain untouchable as the front pair. On the left, Wesley is set to play, while Devyne Rensch is pushing Emanuele Lulli on the right. At the back, Gasperini will rely on his best men, with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso ready to form the three-man defence. Leonardo Balerdi is at risk after training on Monday with a heavy bandage on his right knee. Gollini is expected in goal, returning to Manchester where he spent time in the youth ranks from 2012 to 2014. Mile Svilar, Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala are once again out. Koné and Dybala are hoping to be available for Saturday's match against Sassuolo, though their involvement is not guaranteed.

Roma are training at Manchester United's historic Cliff training ground on the eve of their trip to face the Red Devils, with Gian Piero Gasperini set to finalise his team selection doubts in the morning session. The session is scheduled for 11am local time at the Cliff. The Cliff is the club's former first-team base, which Manchester United used for years until Sir Alex Ferguson pushed for a move in 2000. Ferguson's reason was a lack of privacy: he felt the facility was too open, with training sessions easily watched by journalists and, above all, by scouts working for rival clubs. He called them "spies" and suggested the club relocate, and it did. Manchester United now train at Carrington, while the Cliff remains in use by the youth teams and the women's side. For one day, the Cliff is also being used by Roma and by their Primavera side, who will face the English club in the Youth League. Ahead of the trip, Roma have already held a rehearsal session the previous day, followed by the morning training on the day of the match.

Donyell Malen is set to lead Roma's attack against a battered Manchester United at Old Trafford, with the Giallorossi looking to push towards the playoffs with a win. Il Corriere della Sera describes the Dutch forward as the dream man for Roma heading into the Old Trafford clash. Malen returns to English football after an unhappy spell at Aston Villa, where he was used on the wing and given fewer chances to show his considerable goalscoring potential. According to Il Corriere della Sera, he left the Premier League because he felt misunderstood, having wanted to play as a centre-forward rather than on the right wing. Birmingham, where Villa are based, is an hour and a half from Manchester, and the report suggests his assessment in England was wrong. A win on Tuesday evening would go a long way towards securing a playoff place for Roma. Malen has the chance to score against the club where Totti and Dzeko have left their mark. Earlier this season he scored against Real Madrid, silencing those who said he does not score in the big games. At Old Trafford, however, he is almost a debutant, having made just one appearance there, for six minutes in May 2025. The Italian report frames the match as a chance to prove that his value was misjudged in England and across Europe.