Cassano slams Dybala, praises Malen and rips into Mourinho

Former Slovakia and Napoli coach Francesco Calzona has spoken to Il Messaggero ahead of Roma's clash with Slovan, saying Roma are much stronger than their opponents but must remain careful. Slovan have won the Slovak title for eight consecutive years, Calzona said, though they have struggled to reach the group stage after qualifying rounds when they face European opposition. He added that the club has considerable potential, pointing to a recent interview in which their president said he wanted to establish the club in European competition, and said it will take time. Slovan have begun rejuvenating their squad, bringing in local talent. Calzona also looked ahead to Saturday's Napoli-Roma fixture, which he believes could be a crossroads for Napoli given the gap in the table. "If they want to get back up, they cannot afford to lose. Ten points would start to be really many, even though there would still be more than 30 games to play, because you can make up ground on one team but it becomes difficult when there are two or three." On Roma, he was confident of a season at the top whatever the final result. "It is a very strong team, it always manages to play with incredible intensity. Watching Roma entertains me, they have a European style of play." Asked which Roma player he would most like to coach, Calzona said the easy answer would be Malen or Dybala, but he chose Koné. "What a player... He is of a very high level, he has everything you could ask of a midfielder." Told that Koné does not score often, he replied: "You will see that Gasperini will manage to get him scoring too."

Former Roma forward Stefano Okaka has recalled his start against Slovan Bratislava in the 2011 Europa League play-off, when he was picked ahead of Francesco Totti, and has spoken warmly about Roma's current coach Gian Piero Gasperini. Fifteen years ago Roma were knocked out of the Europa League play-offs by Slovan Bratislava, and the Slovak side return to the Stadio Olimpico tonight to play in the Champions League. Okaka told Il Messaggero that he remembers little of the night in Bratislava. He was surprised when the coach told him he would start in place of Totti, who he believes was probably carrying a physical problem at the time. "Totti is Roma and is history, everything else doesn't matter," he said. Okaka came on as a substitute in the return leg, but Roma could not win the game to overturn the defeat in the first leg. Asked about the current side, Okaka said he likes this Roma a great deal and hopes that with Gasperini the club can aim for something important. "He has every chance to compete," he added. He described Gasperini as a champion of his profession: "Luckily Roma have him. He manages to bring out the best in every team and in individual players." Comparing the two eras, Okaka said football was different then. "We had phenomenal players, of a different level. I think of Totti, who was a phenomenon, a true champion. I think of De Rossi, a real champion, and Cassano too. I also found some in the national team, Buffon and Pirlo to name a couple."

Roma face Slovan Bratislava tonight in a match the Radio Manà Manà Sport commentator Rossomando described as fundamental, with absences once again affecting the squad. The main bad news concerns Paulo Dybala, who, as Gian Piero Gasperini announced at his press conference, is injured and may not return until after the November international break. Rossomando said Dybala's body has forced him to stop from time to time: "Purtroppo ogni tanto deve fermarsi, questo non è colpa di nessuno ma è proprio il suo corpo." He added that Roma must accept this, as it has been a feature of the forward's career. Pundits on RadioBrunoRomafm also weighed in on the Slovan fixture. Roberta Pedrelli said three points were mandatory and she expected to see Mora and Ghilardi in the side, with Pellegrini returning to goal-scoring form. Luca Ferri said only a win mattered regardless of the line-up, noting Roma had players clearly superior to Slovan's, and expected his side to try to wrap up the game in the first half. Andrea Verdenelli suggested Mario Hermoso could play as a deep-lying midfield regista, as the most technical defender Roma have. Santoro, also speaking on Radio Manà Manà Sport, said it was a shame because Dybala had been playing very well. He said: "Peccato perchè Dybala stava giocando molto bene. Questa purtroppo con Paulo è una prassi perchè quando gioca mette anche forza e intensità però poi ogni tanto si ferma per qualche problema fisico." Santoro's comments mirror Rossomando's, pointing to a recurring pattern in which the Argentine's intensity on the pitch is regularly followed by spells on the sidelines for physical problems.

Bryan Cristante is back in the Roma squad for Thursday's home clash with Slovan Bratislava, Gian Piero Gasperini's team news boost on the eve of the Champions League League Phase third matchday. The midfielder had missed the last few matches with physical problems, and his return gives Gasperini an important alternative in a department already without the injured Manu Koné. The call-up also includes Di Nunzio, who has been added to the group at a time when the emergency is forcing Gasperini to widen his rotations. Paulo Dybala remains out, sidelined by a lesion revealed by the latest tests, along with Koné. Cristante's return is therefore the main development ahead of tonight's fixture at the Olimpico, with Gasperini regaining an important option at the most delicate moment of the midfield crisis. The full squad list is as follows. Goalkeepers: Vasquez, De Marzi, Gollini. Defenders: Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli, Ghilardi. Midfielders: Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Mora. Forwards: Castro, Malen, Soulé.

Roma host Slovan Bratislava tonight at 21:00 at the Stadio Olimpico in the third matchday of the Champions League league phase, and Bryan Cristante is back in Gian Piero Gasperini's squad. The midfielder had been out of the last few matches with a knee problem. His return gives Roma an extra option in midfield during a period of closely spaced fixtures. The match comes after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid, and Gasperini's side are looking to collect important points on their European campaign. Paulo Dybala is not in the squad. Gasperini confirmed at the eve-of-match press conference that the Argentine has a small muscle tear, and his recovery will take another couple of weeks. Manu Koné is also absent and does not feature in the list of players available for the European fixture. Mile Svilar is missing with a foot injury. The full squad list names Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi in defence. The midfield selection is Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora. Alessandro Di Nunzio is a young midfielder from the youth sector, and he was also called up for the league match against Genoa. Pierluigi Gollini, Devis Vásquez and De Marzi are the goalkeepers. In attack, Gasperini can call on Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro to lead the line. More than 60,000 fans are expected at the Olimpico for the game.

Gian Piero Gasperini has named his squad for Roma's Champions League league-phase match against Slovan Bratislava, a third-matchday fixture at the Stadio Olimpico this evening at 21:00. The headline news is the return of Bryan Cristante, who is back in contention after missing recent matches with a knee problem. He has been working on a personalised programme in recent days and is available to Gasperini again. Mile Svilar, Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala are all absent. Dybala must continue his recovery from a small calf tear picked up in recent checks, while Koné remains sidelined after a muscle injury suffered against Real Madrid. Cristante's recall is significant for a midfield that has been very thin in recent weeks. Alessandro Di Nunzio has also been confirmed in the group. The young player features in the squad after making his Serie A debut against Genoa. Goalkeepers: Vasquez, De Marzi, Gollini. Defenders: Rensch, Koulierakis, Ndicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli, Ghilardi. Midfielders: Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Mora. Forwards: Castro, Malen, Soulé.

Rafa Benitez has backed Gian Piero Gasperini and Roma's style of play ahead of their Champions League fixture against Slovan Bratislava. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the Spanish coach said the Italian clubs in Europe are not out of contention, pointing to Chivu, Allegri, Fabregas and Gasperini as the first sources of confidence. "Nulla è perduto, lo sanno meglio di me uomini di calcio come Chivu, Allegri, Fabregas e Gasperini. Loro sono le prime certezze. Ci sono partite per niente semplici, ma sanno cosa li aspetta." Translated: "Nothing is lost. Men of football like Chivu, Allegri, Fabregas and Gasperini know this better than I do. They are the first certainties. There are matches that are far from simple, but they know what awaits them." Asked about Gasperini's absences, Benitez focused on the team's approach rather than the availability of players. "Ha un gioco che l'ha aiutato a battere il Genoa con padronanza. È quello il fattore decisivo, probabilmente." In English: "He has a style of play that helped him beat Genoa with control. That is probably the decisive factor." He added that Donyell Malen is returning to the squad, a boost for the attack. Benitez also looked ahead to the result that would follow a win over Slovan. "Battere lo Slovan significa mettersi a 4 punti in classifica." In English: "Beating Slovan means getting to 4 points in the table." He rounded off by praising Roma's recent performance against Real Madrid: "Però io insisto: contro il Real la Roma ha giocato molto, ma molto bene." In English: "But I insist: against Real, Roma played very, very well."

Bryan Cristante is back in the Roma squad for Thursday's home clash with Slovan Bratislava, Gian Piero Gasperini's team news boost on the eve of the Champions League League Phase third matchday. The midfielder had missed the last few matches with physical problems, and his return gives Gasperini an important alternative in a department already without the injured Manu Koné. The call-up also includes Di Nunzio, who has been added to the group at a time when the emergency is forcing Gasperini to widen his rotations. Paulo Dybala remains out, sidelined by a lesion revealed by the latest tests, along with Koné. Cristante's return is therefore the main development ahead of tonight's fixture at the Olimpico, with Gasperini regaining an important option at the most delicate moment of the midfield crisis. The full squad list is as follows. Goalkeepers: Vasquez, De Marzi, Gollini. Defenders: Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli, Ghilardi. Midfielders: Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Mora. Forwards: Castro, Malen, Soulé.

Roma have named their squad for tonight's Champions League clash with Slovan Bratislava at the Stadio Olimpico, and Bryan Cristante is back in contention for Gian Piero Gasperini. The club confirmed the list in an official statement published on its website. Cristante returns after a knee problem that forced him to miss around 20 days. Cristante's availability is good news for Gasperini ahead of a European night in Rome. Alessandro Di Nunzio is also included in the squad. Having made his Serie A debut, he now gets a fresh opportunity to show what he can do in European competition. The full squad is as follows. Goalkeepers: Vasquez, De Marzi, Gollini. Defenders: Rensch, Koulierakis, Ndicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli, Ghilardi. Midfielders: Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Mora. Forwards: Castro, Malen, Soulé.