Cristante ruled out of Como and Real Madrid with injury as De Roon and Pisilli await opportunity

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has given Roma's squad three days off before recalling them to Trigoria on Tuesday afternoon to prepare for the match against Como. Bryan Cristante will not be available for training as he continues to recover from a knee collateral problem. The goal is to have the captain fit for Roma's fixture at Napoli on 24 October. Gasperini will begin reintegrating the players involved in the international break from Tuesday onwards. Evan N'Dicka will be among the first to return after completing Ivory Coast's final match of the international window today. The last players to report back will be the Argentines Leonardo Balerdi, Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé, who are expected at Trigoria on Thursday.

Bryan Cristante has been ruled out with inflammation of his right knee and will miss at least the upcoming matches against Como and Real Madrid, forcing Gasperini to reshuffle his midfield options. Gasperini had previously avoided discussing his squad's fitness in detail, but the injury to Cristante leaves Roma without one of their key players at a critical moment in the season. Two paths lie open to fill the void: Niccolò Pisilli's pace and youth, or the experience of Marten de Roon, who was signed to bolster the squad and previously worked with Gasperini during important years at Atalanta. The situation will ease slightly soon, as Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected to return to availability, giving Gasperini another midfield option despite playing a different role.

Bryan Cristante will miss Roma's upcoming away match at Como after suffering a knee problem, with an expected absence of around 20 days that will also keep him sidelined through the start of the fixture programme following the international break. Marten de Roon, who joined Roma from Atalanta in the closing days of the summer transfer window, will step in for the midfielder. The trip to the Sinigaglia presents positive news for Roma's travelling support: it will be the club's first away match of the season without restrictions, allowing their fans to attend without limits. Gasperini indicated Roma are performing at a level close to Inter's standard, underscoring the side's competitive position early in the campaign.

Giuseppe Giannini, Roma's historic captain, has ranked the club's greatest number 10s in an interview reflecting on his career and what it means to represent the Giallorossi. Giannini placed Francesco Totti at the top "for numbers", followed by Agostino Di Bartolomei and Giuseppe De Sisti, with himself in fourth place "for Roman identity". Paulo Dybala, despite wearing number 21, ranks fifth in Giannini's assessment. "The fact that he plays with great simplicity," Giannini said of Dybala. "He always manages to escape from every game situation, even the most complicated one. Even when surrounded by two or three opponents, he's capable of getting out of it somehow and coming away with the ball at his feet. He's a player with imagination, moments of genius. And you can see that when he plays, he enjoys himself. When a champion can play while enjoying himself, he drags the fans along too, who identify with him." On his own captaincy and the weight of wearing the armband, Giannini emphasised the character required. "Above all to wear the armband, you need special character and personality. Very strong ones," he said. "The character and personality that Di Bartolomei, Bruno Conti, De Rossi and Totti showed, and that I see today in Cristante and Pellegrini. The shirt and everything else represent a great responsibility, and precisely because of that you have to give something more. And if you can't manage it on the technical side, it touches you on the behaviour side." Giannini recalled his formative years, saying that as a child he had "understood I had something more than others, because I took on responsibilities that maybe didn't fall to me, like taking a penalty instead of a teammate who didn't feel up to it." His childhood idol was the Argentine Mario Kempes, chosen both for his playing style and his long hair, which Giannini copied. After Kempes, Agostino Di Bartolomei became his model. When asked what he would steal from Dybala and what he would give in return, Giannini replied: "I'd steal his left foot, but I'd give him my right foot." Giannini also shared a poignant memory from his time as captain involving president Dino Viola. When Viola died, Giannini was tasked with placing flowers on the president's chair at the Olimpico before the first home match without him. "That was a very complicated moment from an emotional point of view," Giannini said. "I was very close to the president and his family, particularly to his wife Flora. I felt full of pain and worried about not getting any gesture wrong. It was the only time I would have preferred not to be captain." His proudest moment came on 20 March 1994 at Foggia, when Roma came from behind to draw 1–1 against Zeman's high-pressing side. Giannini scored the equaliser, and the result sparked a run of four consecutive victories that nearly secured UEFA Cup qualification by season's end.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has given Roma's squad three days off before recalling them to Trigoria on Tuesday afternoon to prepare for the match against Como. Bryan Cristante will not be available for training as he continues to recover from a knee collateral problem. The goal is to have the captain fit for Roma's fixture at Napoli on 24 October. Gasperini will begin reintegrating the players involved in the international break from Tuesday onwards. Evan N'Dicka will be among the first to return after completing Ivory Coast's final match of the international window today. The last players to report back will be the Argentines Leonardo Balerdi, Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé, who are expected at Trigoria on Thursday.

Bryan Cristante has been ruled out with inflammation of his right knee and will miss at least the upcoming matches against Como and Real Madrid, forcing Gasperini to reshuffle his midfield options. Gasperini had previously avoided discussing his squad's fitness in detail, but the injury to Cristante leaves Roma without one of their key players at a critical moment in the season. Two paths lie open to fill the void: Niccolò Pisilli's pace and youth, or the experience of Marten de Roon, who was signed to bolster the squad and previously worked with Gasperini during important years at Atalanta. The situation will ease slightly soon, as Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected to return to availability, giving Gasperini another midfield option despite playing a different role.

Bryan Cristante has been ruled out with inflammation of his right knee and will miss at least the upcoming matches against Como and Real Madrid, forcing Gasperini to reshuffle his midfield options. Gasperini had previously avoided discussing his squad's fitness in detail, but the injury to Cristante leaves Roma without one of their key players at a critical moment in the season. Two paths lie open to fill the void: Niccolò Pisilli's pace and youth, or the experience of Marten de Roon, who was signed to bolster the squad and previously worked with Gasperini during important years at Atalanta. The situation will ease slightly soon, as Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected to return to availability, giving Gasperini another midfield option despite playing a different role.

Bryan Cristante will miss Roma's upcoming away match at Como after suffering a knee problem, with an expected absence of around 20 days that will also keep him sidelined through the start of the fixture programme following the international break. Marten de Roon, who joined Roma from Atalanta in the closing days of the summer transfer window, will step in for the midfielder. The trip to the Sinigaglia presents positive news for Roma's travelling support: it will be the club's first away match of the season without restrictions, allowing their fans to attend without limits. Gasperini indicated Roma are performing at a level close to Inter's standard, underscoring the side's competitive position early in the campaign.

Bryan Cristante will miss Roma's upcoming matches against Como and a Champions League fixture against Real Madrid due to inflammation of his right knee. The midfielder will undergo further instrumental tests next week to establish the exact recovery timeline, which could range between two and three weeks. This marks his first injury absence since January 2025. If the recovery takes the full three weeks, Cristante would miss Roma's trips to Como and Madrid, plus the home match against Genoa scheduled for 17 October. The midfielder will definitely be unavailable for the first two fixtures after the international break. Marten de Roon is being prepared to take his place and form a midfield pairing with Manu Koné.

Bryan Cristante has been ruled out with inflammation of his right knee and will miss at least the upcoming matches against Como and Real Madrid, forcing Gasperini to reshuffle his midfield options. Gasperini had previously avoided discussing his squad's fitness in detail, but the injury to Cristante leaves Roma without one of their key players at a critical moment in the season. Two paths lie open to fill the void: Niccolò Pisilli's pace and youth, or the experience of Marten de Roon, who was signed to bolster the squad and previously worked with Gasperini during important years at Atalanta. The situation will ease slightly soon, as Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected to return to availability, giving Gasperini another midfield option despite playing a different role.

Roma CEO John Galantic spoke at the Festival dello Sport in Trento alongside head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, discussing his first months at the club, the Friedkin ownership, and the strategy to build a sustainable and competitive organisation. Galantic described his arrival as a baptism by fire, joining during the summer transfer window and a pre-season training camp in Wales. He praised the ownership's ambition and noted Roma's qualification to the Champions League and strong league start under Gasperini. "We don't wait for others: we go and get the ball," he said of the club's approach. "I was also fortunate to arrive at a very positive moment, after the qualification secured by Gian Piero and the squad, and now with this fine start to the campaign." On working with Friedkin, Galantic highlighted their enthusiasm but reserved public profile. "Dan Friedkin built an empire with several sectors. I was surprised to see that the more time passes, you don't find interviews on other subjects either," he explained. "They are private and asked me to speak. For the matches they are always involved, and you don't make these investments if you don't believe." Galantic outlined three pillars for long-term growth: developing young talent in-house like Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli, strengthening the Under 23 and link between that level and the first squad, and synergies with Cannes. "Every year we want to put new players developed in-house to grow and have a sustainable model. In four years the stadium will change everything—it raises revenue and allows us a very important sporting and economic jump," he said. On January targets, he remained non-committal: "We are always alert, we see if there are opportunities. We want to grow this squad."

John Galantic, speaking at the Festival dello Sport in Trento alongside head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, outlined Roma's long-term vision under owner Dan Friedkin, emphasising the owner's complete commitment to the project despite his typically reserved public profile. Galantic, who moved to Roma from a chief executive role at a luxury company in Milan after years of discussions with the Friedkins, described the decision as one driven by passion and conviction rather than career advancement. He underscored the importance of sustainable growth, explaining that the club cannot rely on profit from player sales alone. "We must grow more talent in-house like Lulli and Pisilli," he said, referencing academy prospects. Roma's strategy involves three pillars: renovating the youth system with staff including D'Amico and Margiotta; developing the pathway between the Primavera and first team through the Under-23 side; and strengthening the partnership with the club's squad in Cannes, which operates in a talent-rich market. "Every year we want to add new players developed in-house to grow and have a sustainable model." Galantic stressed that Friedkin's investment strategy is backed by genuine belief rather than casual involvement. "They are always inside for the matches and you don't make these investments if you don't believe in them," he said. He highlighted the planned stadium redevelopment as transformational: "In four years the stadium will change everything, raising revenue and allowing us a very important sporting and economic leap." When asked whether Roma would sign a left-winger for Gasperini without selling anyone in January, Galantic remained cautious: "We are always vigilant, we see if there are opportunities. We want to grow this squad."