Brighton 3–1 Roma: Malen returns as Gasperini names attacking trio

Evan Ferguson, the Roma forward on loan from Brighton, was present at the Amex Stadium on 8 August and exchanged greetings with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and the club's staff. Ferguson remains sidelined following an ankle injury sustained in January 2025. The Irish striker's appearance at Brighton ahead of the fixture underlined his continued recovery from the injury that has kept him unavailable since the start of 2025. His presence among the Roma party offered a chance to reconnect with his former coach and teammates despite his absence from the squad on the pitch. Ferguson joined Roma on loan from Brighton in July 2025 with an option to make the move permanent for €40 million.

Roma faced Brighton at the Amex Stadium in the final warm-up match of their British tour. Gasperini named Donyell Malen in the starting eleven, while leaving new arrivals Castro and Koulierakis on the bench to manage their workload ahead of the 2026–27 season opener. The Roma boss fielded a 3-4-2-1 formation with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and a four-strong midfield of Devyne Rensch, Bryan Cristante, Neil El Aynaoui, and Wesley. Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala occupied the advanced midfield roles, with Malen leading the attack. The fixture served as a final examination of the squad's preparation during the pre-season tour, with Gasperini using the match to assess combinations and match sharpness before competitive action resumes.

Roma played their final pre-season fixture in England at Brighton, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini fielding a squad featuring Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé in support roles behind Donyell Malen in attack. The Giallorossi lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation at the American Express Stadium, with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and Bryan Cristante wearing the captain's armband. The match offered Gasperini a chance to test his players against Brighton, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, as Roma prepare to return to their training base at Trigoria. The fixture represented the most demanding friendly of Roma's pre-season schedule to date. Gasperini used the encounter to evaluate his squad ahead of any final transfer business before the new season begins. Devyne Rensch and Neil El Aynaoui operated as full-backs, while Manu Koné occupied a midfield spot alongside Cristante. The absence of several first-team regulars from the starting lineup reflected the manager's rotation strategy during the summer preparation period.

Roma faced Brighton at the Amex Stadium in the final warm-up match of their British tour. Gasperini named Donyell Malen in the starting eleven, while leaving new arrivals Castro and Koulierakis on the bench to manage their workload ahead of the 2026–27 season opener. The Roma boss fielded a 3-4-2-1 formation with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and a four-strong midfield of Devyne Rensch, Bryan Cristante, Neil El Aynaoui, and Wesley. Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala occupied the advanced midfield roles, with Malen leading the attack. The fixture served as a final examination of the squad's preparation during the pre-season tour, with Gasperini using the match to assess combinations and match sharpness before competitive action resumes.

Roma played their final pre-season fixture in England at Brighton, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini fielding a squad featuring Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé in support roles behind Donyell Malen in attack. The Giallorossi lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation at the American Express Stadium, with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and Bryan Cristante wearing the captain's armband. The match offered Gasperini a chance to test his players against Brighton, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, as Roma prepare to return to their training base at Trigoria. The fixture represented the most demanding friendly of Roma's pre-season schedule to date. Gasperini used the encounter to evaluate his squad ahead of any final transfer business before the new season begins. Devyne Rensch and Neil El Aynaoui operated as full-backs, while Manu Koné occupied a midfield spot alongside Cristante. The absence of several first-team regulars from the starting lineup reflected the manager's rotation strategy during the summer preparation period.

Roma continue their pre-season preparation in England on Saturday 8 August, facing Brighton at the American Express Stadium with kickoff at 16:00. Head coach Gasperini will be without Molina, who will join the squad directly at Trigoria, though Malen is available. Pisilli and Bah remain sidelined through injury. The friendly forms part of Roma's summer training schedule following their time in Wales. Gasperini has confirmed his squad composition for the match, with the unavailability of two key players due to injury requiring tactical adjustments. The match will be broadcast live on DAZN, accessible via the app or official website through smartphone, PC, or tablet.

Roma faced Brighton at the Amex Stadium in the final warm-up match of their British tour. Gasperini named Donyell Malen in the starting eleven, while leaving new arrivals Castro and Koulierakis on the bench to manage their workload ahead of the 2026–27 season opener. The Roma boss fielded a 3-4-2-1 formation with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and a four-strong midfield of Devyne Rensch, Bryan Cristante, Neil El Aynaoui, and Wesley. Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala occupied the advanced midfield roles, with Malen leading the attack. The fixture served as a final examination of the squad's preparation during the pre-season tour, with Gasperini using the match to assess combinations and match sharpness before competitive action resumes.

Roma played their final pre-season fixture in England at Brighton, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini fielding a squad featuring Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé in support roles behind Donyell Malen in attack. The Giallorossi lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation at the American Express Stadium, with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and Bryan Cristante wearing the captain's armband. The match offered Gasperini a chance to test his players against Brighton, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, as Roma prepare to return to their training base at Trigoria. The fixture represented the most demanding friendly of Roma's pre-season schedule to date. Gasperini used the encounter to evaluate his squad ahead of any final transfer business before the new season begins. Devyne Rensch and Neil El Aynaoui operated as full-backs, while Manu Koné occupied a midfield spot alongside Cristante. The absence of several first-team regulars from the starting lineup reflected the manager's rotation strategy during the summer preparation period.

Roma are preparing to negotiate with Bologna over the signing of Jonathan Rowe, the 23-year-old English forward, as they look to strengthen their attacking options. The move would likely depend on Matías Soulé's departure from the Stadio Olimpico, with Roma exploring the possibility of adding another forward to their ranks. Bologna have set an asking price of €40 million for Rowe, whose contract runs until 2029. The club face competition from Chelsea for the player's signature, though Rowe may be tempted by Roma's guaranteed Champions League football next season compared to Bologna's absence from European qualification. Roma have already invested €35 million in Santiago Castro from Bologna earlier this summer and signed Donyell Malen permanently from Aston Villa following his loan spell in the second half of last season. Paulo Dybala has been tied down to a new contract, but the club could move on from Soulé to create space for a fresh attacking addition. Rowe arrived at Bologna from Marseille last summer and registered three goals and three assists across 28 Serie A appearances in his first campaign. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has also been keeping tabs on RB Leipzig's Antonio Nusa as an alternative, though Rowe represents a more economical option.

Roma faced Brighton at the Amex Stadium in the final warm-up match of their British tour. Gasperini named Donyell Malen in the starting eleven, while leaving new arrivals Castro and Koulierakis on the bench to manage their workload ahead of the 2026–27 season opener. The Roma boss fielded a 3-4-2-1 formation with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and a four-strong midfield of Devyne Rensch, Bryan Cristante, Neil El Aynaoui, and Wesley. Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala occupied the advanced midfield roles, with Malen leading the attack. The fixture served as a final examination of the squad's preparation during the pre-season tour, with Gasperini using the match to assess combinations and match sharpness before competitive action resumes.

Roma played their final pre-season fixture in England at Brighton, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini fielding a squad featuring Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé in support roles behind Donyell Malen in attack. The Giallorossi lined up in a 3-4-2-1 formation at the American Express Stadium, with Mile Svilar in goal, a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka, and Mario Hermoso, and Bryan Cristante wearing the captain's armband. The match offered Gasperini a chance to test his players against Brighton, who finished eighth in the Premier League last season, as Roma prepare to return to their training base at Trigoria. The fixture represented the most demanding friendly of Roma's pre-season schedule to date. Gasperini used the encounter to evaluate his squad ahead of any final transfer business before the new season begins. Devyne Rensch and Neil El Aynaoui operated as full-backs, while Manu Koné occupied a midfield spot alongside Cristante. The absence of several first-team regulars from the starting lineup reflected the manager's rotation strategy during the summer preparation period.

Luca Gotti, the former Udinese coach who developed Nahuel Molina, has backed Roma's pursuit of the Argentina international as an ideal recruit for Giampiero Gasperini's system. Speaking on Radio Manà Manà, Gotti praised Molina's trajectory since arriving in Italy in 2020 as an unknown quantity from Boca Juniors: "His path at Udine was so devastating that in his first year Argentina observers like Scaloni and Walter Samuel would often attend our matches to watch De Paul and Musso. They noticed Molina and convoked him in March to the national team. From there his career turned: today we speak of a World Champion, two-time Copa América winner, with important baggage matured in Madrid." Gotti believes Molina's pace, reactivity and high tempo suit Gasperini's demands perfectly, particularly in a five-defender setup that will unleash his attacking instincts. With Wesley and Devyne Rensch also competing for the right-back role, Gotti expects Wesley to shift to the left flank if needed, positioning Molina as the primary option on the right. Molina's understanding with Paulo Dybala should develop naturally given his experience linking play at international level. On character, Gotti described him as "a fantastic lad, calm and very sunny." However, he identified one area for refinement: "If there's a defect, it's that he can sometimes be lightweight or superficial inside his own penalty area. He still lacks a touch of attention in preventive reading inside the final sixteen metres. Yet Molina possesses the hardest qualities to teach already; attention and care in the defensive phase are aspects that, with daily work and experience, a master like Gasperini will easily complete."