Malen's Goal Streak Fuels Roma's Champions League Comeback Bid

Alberto Aquilani, the former Roma midfielder, is reportedly close to an agreement to become Sassuolo's head coach. According to reports, Aquilani met with Sassuolo's management again recently, with a deal appearing imminent. The 47-year-old, who played for Roma from 2002 to 2009 and later spent time at Sassuolo in 2017, would make the leap to management after managing Catanzaro. Sassuolo views him as the ideal fit to work alongside Fabio Grosso. If the transfer materializes, Aquilani would become the fifth former Roma player or manager Roma will face next season. The others are Eusebio Di Francesco (Lecce, matchday 2), Cristian Chivu (Inter, 20 September), Daniele De Rossi (Genoa, 18 October), and Luciano Spalletti (Juventus, 20 December). Aquilani would face his former club on 8 November at the Stadio Olimpico in what would be his first return as an opposing manager. The fixture list presents an unusual situation for Roma, with the club set to encounter a notable series of familiar faces throughout the 2025–26 campaign. Each match carries potential narrative weight given the connections between these coaches and the Giallorossi.

Fabio Capello has assessed AS Roma's fixture list for the upcoming season in an interview with La Gazzetta dello Sport. Capello expects Roma to start the new campaign with the same certainty and quality they showed at the end of the previous season, given that Gasperini is the new head coach. However, he warns that the early schedule presents significant challenges. Capello highlighted that Roma will not face any newly promoted teams in their opening ten fixtures—an unusual circumstance that leaves them vulnerable to a demanding run of matches. The Giallorossi will encounter Inter, Napoli, Como, Atalanta, and Fiorentina during this period, alongside difficult away trips to Torino and Udinese. Roma's opening match will be against Fiorentina, while their season concludes with an away fixture at Cagliari. Capello stated: "Knowing Gasperini, I expect a Roma that in August restarts from the certainties and the brilliance with which it ended this season. The schedule is not, however, very straightforward: the Giallorossi will not face any newly promoted sides in the first ten matches, but instead they will come up against Inter, Napoli, Como, Atalanta, Fiorentina… plus complicated away trips like those with Torino and Udinese."

Roma announced Gian Piero Gasperini as head coach on 6 June 2025, marking the start of his first season in charge. The club achieved Champions League qualification, with El Shaarawy among the goal scorers during the campaign. Gasperini's appointment came following the departure of Claudio Ranieri, who had managed the club in the 2024–25 season. The 'condottiero' (commander) has guided Roma towards European football's elite competition in his inaugural year, fulfilling a key objective for the Friedkin Group ownership.

The 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted across the United States, Canada, and Mexico, begins tonight with 48 teams competing in 104 matches over 39 days—the largest tournament in history. Six AS Roma players are competing, though Wesley has withdrawn due to injury at the last moment. The tournament features a new format: 12 groups of four teams, with the top two from each group and eight best third-place finishers advancing to a knockout stage that includes a round of 16. The final on July 19 in New York will include a 30-minute interval entertainment featuring Coldplay, Madonna, and Shakira. Two Roma players stand out as genuine contenders for silverware: Manu Koné, who will anchor France's midfield under Didier Deschamps as they seek revenge against Argentina after losing the 2022 final on penalties, and Donyell Malen, a key attacking weapon for the Netherlands under Ronald Koeman. Notably, Italy will not participate. Mile Svilar cannot represent Belgium due to diplomatic issues affecting his nation. Four additional Roma players are in the tournament: defender Evan Ndicka with Côte d'Ivoire, facing Germany, Ecuador, and Curaçao in their group; Zeki Çelik with Turkey in a group containing Australia, the United States, and Paraguay; and two Morocco-based players, El Aynaoui and Salah Eddine, competing in a group with Brazil, Haiti, and Scotland.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini and vice president Ryan Friedkin are maintaining regular communication as they work together on Roma's transfer strategy. The two are in frequent contact via phone calls, meetings, and video conferences to discuss arrivals, contract renewals, and departures. Although they may operate at different speeds, both are aligned on the club's direction, according to reports. The primary transfer target remains Mason Greenwood, whom the ownership hopes to bring to Roma to strengthen the squad under Gasperini's leadership. The pair's collaboration has already proven successful—their working relationship facilitated the signing of Donyell Malen in the January transfer window. Beyond player acquisitions, discussions are also centered on financial matters related to player sales and contract extensions expected to be finalized soon. The overarching goal is to reinforce Roma ahead of the club's return to the Champions League and the centenary celebration. Gasperini's vision reportedly includes assembling a squad with significant attacking depth. The focus on recruitment reflects ambitions to compete at the highest level during a pivotal season for the Giallorossi.

Donyell Malen has faced criticism from Dutch football circles following disappointing performances in Netherlands pre-World Cup friendlies. The Roma forward failed to score in the warm-up matches and is now at risk of losing his starting position ahead of the tournament opener. Head coach Koeman has spoken bluntly about wasted chances, with Memphis Depay emerging as a potential replacement. Kenneth Perez, a former Danish footballer and ESPN pundit, delivered a particularly harsh assessment. Perez recounted a conversation with Italian attendees at a golf tournament, saying: "I was at a golf tournament where there were many Italians, and they said: 'Malen demonstrates the problem with Italian football. How mediocre it has become, if he can excel in this context'. They think their championship is worth nothing." Perez predicted that Depay would become the primary forward for the World Cup, noting that coaches find Malen's missed opportunities frustrating. Malen still has opportunities to improve his situation and silence the mounting criticism, but will need to convert chances effectively to regain favour with the coaching staff. His struggles in pre-tournament fixtures have raised questions about his form heading into a major competition.