Cristante sidelined: De Roon set for debut start alongside Koné in midfield at Como

Lorenzo Pellegrini announced he is fully fit and eager to resume after six months out of action, speaking at an event where he received the Colalucci award. The midfielder, who had appeared on the bench twice before the international break but was not yet ready, said the three-week gap gave him the perfect opportunity to train, push himself and prove his readiness. "I'm finally back at the disposal of the team," Pellegrini said. "This break came at the perfect moment, because I had the chance to work, push and also test myself. I'm very happy and very charged for this restart." Roma sit high in the league after five matches without Pellegrini, though the season is only four hours old. The midfielder's return comes as the club prepares to resume domestic fixtures and chase Champions League duties on midweek. Asked about whether the coming fixture against Como will decide who becomes the main challenger to Inter, Pellegrini cautioned against premature judgments. "It's very difficult to say now. These are the first four hours of the campaign, and then we restart after a very long break. There will also be new things for us: not playing for three weeks is particular, and it's difficult to have to restart. We have lots of matches, because we'll then play the midweek Champions game. It will certainly be complicated." He added: "It's difficult to say this is the match that decides who will be Inter's rival, because the season is long, it's just started and we come from a break that never happened before." Pellegrini reflected on his longer journey at Roma, describing himself as a reserved but simple person deeply attached to the club. "I've always done what I felt was right," he said of his decision to stay. "I believed it could make me happy, and I'm proud of that, because you must never compromise when you do what you feel and when you respect above all the love you have for yourself, for what you do and for where you do it. Here in Rome it's very important to us." He also noted that Roma's dressing room under the current regime is strong and united. "I prefer the dressing room from before," he reflected on past approaches, "but I must say our dressing room is truly a lovely group: united, calm, working, serene and strong. It knows what its group objective is." On the morning after receiving his award, Pellegrini expressed hope that the occasion would bring good fortune for Sunday's fixture.

Roma are closing in on a fully assembled squad ahead of their Serie A resumption after the international break, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini welcoming back players from national-team duties and accelerating the rehabilitation of injured players at Trigoria. Bryan Cristante's absence through a right collateral ligament injury has opened a key midfield place. Marten De Roon is now the main candidate to partner Manu Koné, who has become the fulcrum of Roma's midfield with increasingly prominent box-to-box duties. De Roon remained at the training ground during the break and has been able to follow targeted preparation to reach peak condition. Niccolò Pisilli, returning from Under-21 international commitments, stands ready as a crucial option off the bench to provide freshness and intensity at key moments. Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi—the three Argentine internationals—are due to arrive in Rome today and will rejoin Gasperini's squad from tomorrow onwards. Manu Koné has already resumed regular training with the main group alongside other players returning from international fixtures. The camp will complete its final session with a full complement before the Como fixture. Donyell Malen and Wesley, both unavailable for their national teams due to physical issues, have used the two-week break to continue individual rehabilitation. From today the pair will progressively return to group training, offering Gasperini valuable options in attack and across the flanks as the championship restarts.

Wesley has recovered from a muscular strain to his right thigh and is nearing a return to action. Malen is also ready to feature again as Roma's squad moves closer to full availability following the international break. At Trigoria on 7 October, midfielders Manu Koné and Rodrigo Mora completed recovery work. The pair's contributions during the break underlined their importance: Mora, born in 2007, accumulated the most minutes of any Roma player during the international window with 225 appearances and scored a bicycle kick for Portugal's Under-21 side. On 8 October, three Argentine players—Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro—returned to training after being unused by Alfredo Scaloni during Argentina's farewell match for Lionel Messi. Of the three, Soulé appears to have the strongest chance of starting the next fixture. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini may deploy Evan N'Dicka at centre-back instead of Balerdi, with the Ivorian defender having trained at Trigoria since the start of the week. Bryan Cristante remains sidelined with a lateral knee ligament issue, creating a potential opportunity for Marten de Roon in midfield.

Gianluca Mancini faces a crucial opportunity to revive his campaign in the coming matches, with the midfielder's armband at Como likely to fall to either Lorenzo Pellegrini or Mancini himself in the absence of Bryan Cristante. The defender has endured a subdued start to 2026-27, standing out for the wrong reasons in Roma's defeats to Fenerbahçe and Inter, where he was caught out for goals by Lautaro Martínez. A poor showing for the Italian national team has compounded his struggles. Mancini remains a trusted lieutenant of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, but the statistics underline his difficult period. His defensive output lags behind teammates: he averages 1.2 tackles per match compared to Mario Hermoso's 2.6 and Evan N'Dicka's 3.3. He is similarly behind in interceptions and challenges. A performance at Torino offered a rare positive, but as Daniele Aloisi writes in Il Messaggero, football can be cruel in how it magnifies the errors of defenders. However, the sport offers swift chances at redemption, and few fixtures carry greater weight than the double challenge against Como and Real Madrid ahead.

Roma are closing in on a fully assembled squad ahead of their Serie A resumption after the international break, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini welcoming back players from national-team duties and accelerating the rehabilitation of injured players at Trigoria. Bryan Cristante's absence through a right collateral ligament injury has opened a key midfield place. Marten De Roon is now the main candidate to partner Manu Koné, who has become the fulcrum of Roma's midfield with increasingly prominent box-to-box duties. De Roon remained at the training ground during the break and has been able to follow targeted preparation to reach peak condition. Niccolò Pisilli, returning from Under-21 international commitments, stands ready as a crucial option off the bench to provide freshness and intensity at key moments. Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi—the three Argentine internationals—are due to arrive in Rome today and will rejoin Gasperini's squad from tomorrow onwards. Manu Koné has already resumed regular training with the main group alongside other players returning from international fixtures. The camp will complete its final session with a full complement before the Como fixture. Donyell Malen and Wesley, both unavailable for their national teams due to physical issues, have used the two-week break to continue individual rehabilitation. From today the pair will progressively return to group training, offering Gasperini valuable options in attack and across the flanks as the championship restarts.

Wesley has recovered from a muscular strain to his right thigh and is nearing a return to action. Malen is also ready to feature again as Roma's squad moves closer to full availability following the international break. At Trigoria on 7 October, midfielders Manu Koné and Rodrigo Mora completed recovery work. The pair's contributions during the break underlined their importance: Mora, born in 2007, accumulated the most minutes of any Roma player during the international window with 225 appearances and scored a bicycle kick for Portugal's Under-21 side. On 8 October, three Argentine players—Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro—returned to training after being unused by Alfredo Scaloni during Argentina's farewell match for Lionel Messi. Of the three, Soulé appears to have the strongest chance of starting the next fixture. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini may deploy Evan N'Dicka at centre-back instead of Balerdi, with the Ivorian defender having trained at Trigoria since the start of the week. Bryan Cristante remains sidelined with a lateral knee ligament issue, creating a potential opportunity for Marten de Roon in midfield.

Roma are closing in on a fully assembled squad ahead of their Serie A resumption after the international break, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini welcoming back players from national-team duties and accelerating the rehabilitation of injured players at Trigoria. Bryan Cristante's absence through a right collateral ligament injury has opened a key midfield place. Marten De Roon is now the main candidate to partner Manu Koné, who has become the fulcrum of Roma's midfield with increasingly prominent box-to-box duties. De Roon remained at the training ground during the break and has been able to follow targeted preparation to reach peak condition. Niccolò Pisilli, returning from Under-21 international commitments, stands ready as a crucial option off the bench to provide freshness and intensity at key moments. Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi—the three Argentine internationals—are due to arrive in Rome today and will rejoin Gasperini's squad from tomorrow onwards. Manu Koné has already resumed regular training with the main group alongside other players returning from international fixtures. The camp will complete its final session with a full complement before the Como fixture. Donyell Malen and Wesley, both unavailable for their national teams due to physical issues, have used the two-week break to continue individual rehabilitation. From today the pair will progressively return to group training, offering Gasperini valuable options in attack and across the flanks as the championship restarts.

Wesley has recovered from a muscular strain to his right thigh and is nearing a return to action. Malen is also ready to feature again as Roma's squad moves closer to full availability following the international break. At Trigoria on 7 October, midfielders Manu Koné and Rodrigo Mora completed recovery work. The pair's contributions during the break underlined their importance: Mora, born in 2007, accumulated the most minutes of any Roma player during the international window with 225 appearances and scored a bicycle kick for Portugal's Under-21 side. On 8 October, three Argentine players—Leonardo Balerdi, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro—returned to training after being unused by Alfredo Scaloni during Argentina's farewell match for Lionel Messi. Of the three, Soulé appears to have the strongest chance of starting the next fixture. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini may deploy Evan N'Dicka at centre-back instead of Balerdi, with the Ivorian defender having trained at Trigoria since the start of the week. Bryan Cristante remains sidelined with a lateral knee ligament issue, creating a potential opportunity for Marten de Roon in midfield.

Roma resume their title push four days before Sunday's Serie A fixture at Como. Gian Piero Gasperini entered the decisive phase of preparation with the squad finally coming together after a three-week international break. The Argentine trio of Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi were expected back at Trigoria today following their commitments with the national team and Argentina's final match with Messi. Rodrigo Mora and Manu Koné had already returned yesterday after international duty. Encouragingly, Wesley and Donyell Malen have progressively increased their workload in recent sessions, training partially with the group, and from today could be fully integrated. Both are set to be available for Sunday's 12.30 kickoff at Sinigaglia, where Roma will defend their shared first-place position with Inter and Lazio. Bryan Cristante remains the only confirmed absence through injury. Marten de Roon is the leading candidate to replace him in midfield alongside Koné, with Wesley on the left and Nahuel Molina on the right. The left-wing spot remains unresolved, with a straight battle between Soulé and Mora, though Lorenzo Pellegrini is poised to challenge both. Pellegrini spoke about his readiness: "I feel good, the break has helped." The midfielder's availability underlines Roma's growing depth as they bid to sustain their challenge at the top of the table.

Roma are closing in on a fully assembled squad ahead of their Serie A resumption after the international break, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini welcoming back players from national-team duties and accelerating the rehabilitation of injured players at Trigoria. Bryan Cristante's absence through a right collateral ligament injury has opened a key midfield place. Marten De Roon is now the main candidate to partner Manu Koné, who has become the fulcrum of Roma's midfield with increasingly prominent box-to-box duties. De Roon remained at the training ground during the break and has been able to follow targeted preparation to reach peak condition. Niccolò Pisilli, returning from Under-21 international commitments, stands ready as a crucial option off the bench to provide freshness and intensity at key moments. Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi—the three Argentine internationals—are due to arrive in Rome today and will rejoin Gasperini's squad from tomorrow onwards. Manu Koné has already resumed regular training with the main group alongside other players returning from international fixtures. The camp will complete its final session with a full complement before the Como fixture. Donyell Malen and Wesley, both unavailable for their national teams due to physical issues, have used the two-week break to continue individual rehabilitation. From today the pair will progressively return to group training, offering Gasperini valuable options in attack and across the flanks as the championship restarts.

Marten de Roon is in line to make his first appearance as a Roma starter in Sunday's visit to Como's Sinigaglia stadium, with the Dutchman having completed his adaptation to the club during the international break. De Roon commented on his early days at Trigora with light irony about the Roman autumn weather, noting the transition from cooler temperatures in Bergamo and his home country. His path to a starting role has been eased by Bryan Cristante's knee injury—an inflammation of the collateral ligament that will rule the midfielder out of both the Como fixture and, in all probability, the Champions League match against Real Madrid. Roma's medical staff at the Fulvio Bernardini centre has been reluctant to give a definite return date for Cristante. De Roon has used the international break to conduct targeted fitness work and reach the conditioning level of his teammates. After several convincing substitute appearances earlier in the season, he is now ready to feature from the start. By his technical characteristics, the former Atalanta player is better suited to replace Cristante than Niccolò Pisilli, who has just returned from duty with Italy's U21 side and will be the only midfield alternative available on the bench at Como.

The international break has ended and Roma players have returned to Trigoria, with Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi due back in the capital today and available to Gasperini from tomorrow. The three Argentina internationals saw limited action across friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin. Balerdi played the most among them with 79 minutes, followed by Soulé (45 minutes) and Castro (21 minutes). They watched Argentina's farewell to Lionel Messi from the bench and are now set for the upcoming Como fixture. Rodrigo Mora emerged as Roma's most-used player during the international window, accumulating 225 minutes with Portugal Under-21. The 2007-born midfielder scored a bicycle kick and provided an assist. Evan N'Dicka (187 minutes), Gianluca Mancini and Niccolò Pisilli (both 180 minutes) followed him. Manu Koné featured in three of France's four matches, totalling 151 minutes, though he was absent against Italy and came off the bench only late in the fixture against Belgium. Emanuele Lulli and Konstantinos Koulierakis saw less action, playing 45 and 90 minutes respectively. Gasperini began formation drills today and reunited with Wesley and Donyell Malen, both of whom remained in Rome due to minor injuries that have now been resolved.