De Rossi returns to the Olimpico as Genoa seek back-to-back wins against Roma

Medical tests have cleared Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala of serious injury ahead of Roma's Serie A fixture against Genoa. Koné sustained a minor first-degree strain to his right hamstring and is expected to miss approximately 20 days, with a possible return between the Manchester United match on 3 November and Sassuolo five days later. Dybala has no muscle damage, only calf fatigue, and will sit out the Genoa game while targeting a return against Slovan Bratislava and Napoli. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will be without five players for Genoa: Svilar, Dybala, Koné, Cristante and Malen. He is preparing to give playing time to squad depth. The expected lineup includes Lulli at right-back ahead of Molina, with Wesley on the opposite flank and De Roon partnered with Pisilli in midfield. Attack duties will fall to Soulé, Mora and Castro. The main uncertainty centres on defence, where N'Dicka and Hermoso appear most likely, with Balerdi, Ghilardi and Mancini competing for the third centre-back spot. Daniele De Rossi, now Genoa's manager, will return to the Olimpico carrying significant emotional weight. He acknowledged he must be "emotionally colder" against Roma and reaffirmed his bond with the giallorossi: "Fundamentally they will never be adversaries." El Shaarawy and Baldanzi will also return to Rome with Genoa. De Rossi praised Roma's display against Real Madrid, calling them a "frightening" side.

Roma face a severe injury crisis ahead of their fixture with Genoa, with Gasperini left with only 16 players available — 11 starters and five substitutes. Key absences include Paulo Dybala and Bryan Cristante among five top-team players sidelined. The head coach is turning to the Primavera ranks to bolster his squad, mirroring tactics he deployed last season during difficult periods. Parco Panico, a young midfielder, is expected to be called up for the Genoa match. He will not be alone: Gasperini may also name Di Nunzio and Arena, both of whom were also called up at points in the previous season. Arena is a current squad member already registered with the first team. The move offers an opportunity for young players while providing Gasperini with additional resources to manage a fixture calendar that demands constant rotation.

Roma host Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico at 20:45 in Serie A Matchday 7, looking to bounce back from a 3–4 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini plans to field a youthful lineup, handing starting places to Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, Rodrigo Mora and Santiago Castro as Roma aim to recover from that difficult European night. The tactical approach represents a deliberate shift towards freshness and intensity. Gasperini has chosen to deploy the young squad members to inject energy and courage into the team following the disappointment in Europe. All four are expected to feature prominently in the club's bid to maintain momentum in the domestic campaign. Five major Italian outlets have predicted broadly similar 3–4–2–1 formations. La Gazzetta's forecast includes Gollini in goal; a defence of Hermoso, N'Dicka and Ghilardi; Lulli, Pisilli, De Roon and Wesley across the midfield; and Soulé and Mora supporting Castro in attack. Corriere della Sport and Il Romanista predict Balerdi in place of Ghilardi in defence. Il Messaggero reverses the positioning of Balerdi and Hermoso on the back line. Il Tempo and Romanews.eu both include Mancini in the defensive unit instead of Ghilardi or Balerdi, with Hermoso retained. All predictions maintain Soulé, Mora and Castro in the attacking positions.

Roma have won just twice after international breaks across the 2024–25 and 2026–27 seasons, a recurring problem that has coincided with managerial upheaval and difficult results. The first instance came in September 2024, when Daniele De Rossi's Roma drew 1–1 at Genoa, with Koni De Winter equalising at the 96th minute. De Rossi was sacked two days later and replaced by Ivan Juric. The October break brought a 1–0 defeat to Inter at the Olimpico, a result that preceded Juric's departure and Claudio Ranieri's appointment in November. Ranieri's start was also marked by a setback: a 1–0 loss away to Napoli on 24 November. The team recovered during the subsequent weeks and climbed the table. Spring 2025 saw success when Ranieri's Roma returned from the break to beat Lecce 1–0 away. Gian Piero Gasperini's tenure has continued the pattern. His first defeat came at the September break when Torino won 1–0 at the Olimpico. Inter dealt Roma another 1–0 loss in October, mirroring the previous season's result at home despite a positive performance. The November break proved more fruitful: Roma won 3–1 away to Cremonese, with goals from Matías Soulé, Evan Ferguson and Wesley—the second victory among the returns documented here. This season has also brought an unfortunate draw at Como and a dramatic comeback loss to Real Madrid, underlining Roma's persistent difficulty regaining rhythm after stepping away from league action.

Roma have a troubling record after international breaks. Across the last two seasons—2024–25 and 2025–26—the Giallorossi returned to action eight times following domestic breaks and won only twice, a pattern that will concern Gian Piero Gasperini ahead of Sunday's trip to Como, which marks the team's restart. The streak began in September 2024 under Daniele De Rossi. After opening defeats, Roma drew 1–1 away at Genoa, with Koni De Winter equalising in the 96th minute. De Rossi was sacked two days later and replaced by Ivan Juric. The next break brought no relief: on 20 October, Roma lost 1–0 at home to Inter. That defeat preceded Juric's own departure and the arrival of Claudio Ranieri. On 24 November, Ranieri's first game back after a break ended in a 1–0 loss at Napoli. Only in spring 2025 did Roma secure their first post-break win of the 2024–25 season, beating Lecce 1–0 away—their sole victory in four such restarts that year. The trend persisted into 2025–26. Gasperini's first post-break match came on 15 September when Torino won 1–0 at the Olimpico. In October, Roma faced Inter again and again lost 1–0 at home despite a positive display. Victory finally arrived in November: away at Cremonese, Roma won 3–1, with goals from Matías Soulé, Evan Ferguson and Wesley. That remains their second and most recent post-break success across the eight matches studied. April brought another heavy defeat, losing 5–2 at Inter; however, Roma responded by winning six of their final seven league matches to secure third place and Champions League qualification.

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the Trento Sports Festival on 2 October, discussing the foundations he has laid at Roma since his appointment and his vision for the season ahead. The Roma head coach outlined his tactical philosophy and explained how he has worked with the squad over the early weeks of the 2026–27 campaign. "My objective was to create something new, to lay new foundations straight away," Gasperini said. "We never spoke about my past; we had to create something new, based on new concepts of play that were different from what several players were used to. There are two ways in football: waiting for your opponent to lose the ball, or the other way—going to take it. This was the first concept, not to wait for the opponent, and everything else came from that." Gasperini praised his defensive options, singling out Mario Hermoso and Gianluca Mancini as key figures. He described the defence as his "gladiators," adding that Mile Svilar and Evan N'Dicka have been among Europe's best in recent months. On Mancini specifically, Gasperini revealed he had worked to improve the centre-back's attitude: "I knew Mancini, but when I was his opponent I'd think to myself, 'Why is he so unpleasant?' and I tried to tell him straight away, 'Look, this is hurting you—for many years you haven't gone to the national team because of these attitudes.' It was the first thing I worked on. He had a fantastic season, people started talking about Mancini as a player again, and he's returned to the national team." Gasperini offered extensive insight into Paulo Dybala's resurgence, attributing the Argentine forward's improved fitness to his training methods. "He's started as hasn't happened to him for years. I knew him at Palermo when he was very young; many years have passed but he, like all great players, still has enthusiasm and strength," Gasperini explained. "He had years of physical fragility. I thought it was a training issue. Many told me he had silk muscles, that I had to preserve him, and he kept getting injured. He has remarkable fibre; some injuries were random. This season's start is extraordinary physically. He doesn't miss a minute of training or matches. This shows what I've always believed: through training you can improve durability and performances." Regarding Dybala's reluctance to shoot from distance, Gasperini noted: "That's a legacy we'll get over soon. He got injured shooting with Milan and Torino last year and it stayed with him. Now he's overcoming it; he stopped sprinting and to see him jumping past opponents again... we'll return to shooting like before." When asked if he has coached better poets than Dybala, Gasperini responded: "I have a long career and have trained many strong players. Dybala is among the top, if not the absolute top. Ilicic and the Papu too—they're poets because they touch different strings from everyone else." Gasperini discussed young academy prospects Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli, explaining his approach to youth development: "I grew up in the youth sector, coaching 11-year-olds through to the Primavera. I've maintained that approach and it's taught me to see the boy not as something to evaluate but as something to imagine how he might become. Pisilli already had value and experience; Lulli wasn't even always a starter in the Primavera. I have the habit of bringing a few boys from Primavera into training. I saw important characteristics in him and this year I brought him to the retreat. He played against Borussia Dortmund, a demanding match. These are the boys who tell you by how they play if they're ready. The answers come from watching them on the pitch." On Bryan Cristante, Gasperini confirmed a knee injury: "He had a knee problem but when you play many matches, if you're out two weeks you risk missing five matches. He'll miss the first games but will recover quickly." Donyell Malen's arrival was described as unexpected: "Sometimes the planets align and things happen you don't think about. He was a known player; we'd had a friendly where I saw his characteristics. These things happen during the market where you sometimes don't plan anything. We were looking for a striker because Dovbyk and Ferguson were injured. There were several names and suddenly I learned of this opportunity. He was leaving Aston Villa for tactical reasons; he wanted to be a centre-forward and I've always seen those characteristics in him. He has three fundamental touches—the closer he is to the box, the more deadly he is."

Medical tests have cleared Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala of serious injury ahead of Roma's Serie A fixture against Genoa. Koné sustained a minor first-degree strain to his right hamstring and is expected to miss approximately 20 days, with a possible return between the Manchester United match on 3 November and Sassuolo five days later. Dybala has no muscle damage, only calf fatigue, and will sit out the Genoa game while targeting a return against Slovan Bratislava and Napoli. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will be without five players for Genoa: Svilar, Dybala, Koné, Cristante and Malen. He is preparing to give playing time to squad depth. The expected lineup includes Lulli at right-back ahead of Molina, with Wesley on the opposite flank and De Roon partnered with Pisilli in midfield. Attack duties will fall to Soulé, Mora and Castro. The main uncertainty centres on defence, where N'Dicka and Hermoso appear most likely, with Balerdi, Ghilardi and Mancini competing for the third centre-back spot. Daniele De Rossi, now Genoa's manager, will return to the Olimpico carrying significant emotional weight. He acknowledged he must be "emotionally colder" against Roma and reaffirmed his bond with the giallorossi: "Fundamentally they will never be adversaries." El Shaarawy and Baldanzi will also return to Rome with Genoa. De Rossi praised Roma's display against Real Madrid, calling them a "frightening" side.

Roma host Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday 17 October at 20:45 in Serie A's seventh round, looking to recover after a 4–3 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid this week. The Giallorossi led 3–1 until the 83rd minute before the Spanish side staged a dramatic comeback. In league play, Roma are unbeaten on 14 points from six matches and sit third, having won four games and drawn with Inter and Como. Genoa arrive 18th on four points but travel to Rome buoyed by their first Serie A victory of the season, a 2–1 win over Fiorentina. The fixture carries special significance as Genoa are managed by Daniele De Rossi, who faces the club he served as both a player and later as coach. Roma face a severe injury crisis ahead of the match. Manu Koné suffered a first-degree biceps femoris strain in tests today and will be absent for several weeks, with recovery targeted before the next international break. Paulo Dybala is also unavailable—not through injury, but due to calf fatigue that has prompted Gasperini's medical staff to avoid taking risks against Genoa. Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante remain sidelined, with Cristante still completing recovery from a knee problem and available for the following Serie A match against Napoli. Donyell Malen is suspended following his dismissal against Como. Pierluigi Gollini will continue in goal, with Leonardo Balerdi pushing Mario Hermoso for a place in the three-person defence alongside Gianluca Mancini and Evan N'Dicka. On the right wing, Emanuele Lulli and Nahuel Molina are competing for selection, while Wesley will operate on the left. Marten de Roon and Niccolò Pisilli are expected to start in midfield. Gasperini confirmed that Santiago Castro will start up front, with Rodrigo Mora and Matías Soulé favoured as options behind him on current indications, though Lorenzo Pellegrini is available in the attacking midfield role. Genoa will largely field the team that beat Fiorentina. Justin Bijlow starts in goal, with Otoa competing with Marcandalli to complete the back four alongside Jens Petter Østigard and Devis Vásquez. Ola Aina and Morten Frendrup operate as full-backs, with Morten Frendrup and Hamed Traorè in central midfield. Junior Messias will provide creative support, and Stephan El Shaarawy is expected to start after featuring prominently in the Fiorentina victory. Milutin Osmajić leads the Grifone attack, having scored in that recent win and currently Genoa's leading league goalscorer this season. The match will be broadcast on DAZN and Sky Sport Uno, Sky Sport Calcio, Sky Sport 251 and Sky Sport 4K, with streaming available on DAZN, Sky Go and NOW. Maurizio Compagnoni will provide commentary for Sky with Massimo Gobbi as summariser. Bookmakers heavily favour Roma despite the absences. Odds on a Giallorossi victory range from 1.47 to 1.48, a draw from 4.35 to 4.60, and a Genoa win from 6.20 to 7.00. A 2–0 Roma victory is among the most likely correct scorelines, offered at 6.75 by Bwin and 7.50 by Sisal. Roma have gone unbeaten in 39 of their last 40 home Serie A matches against Genoa.

Daniele De Rossi and Stephan El Shaarawy will face each other at the Olimpico tonight as opponents, but their connection runs far deeper than a single league match. The two formed their bond over ten years ago when they were teammates at Trigoria, and that thread has never been broken despite their paths diverging across China, Argentina and new ventures. Tonight they will meet with De Rossi on Genoa's bench and El Shaarawy on the pitch, yet no ninety minutes of football can erase a lifetime of affection, respect and genuine complicité. For El Shaarawy, the reunion carries particular weight. This summer he turned down lucrative offers from Saudi Arabia and the United States to join Genoa, a choice rooted in his heart rather than commercial logic. He had chosen to remain in Roma's colours despite those external opportunities, and when De Rossi was managing the club last season, El Shaarawy witnessed his ex-captain attempt to shield and mediate for him in the dressing room during the most difficult moments. The bond between them survived even when the paths diverged once more. Their story is one of sincere gestures and promises kept. El Shaarawy holds onto a video on his phone that De Rossi had shown the world on the day the former captain said goodbye to football—an intimate moment that Roma's supporters have never forgotten. Tonight the Olimpico will welcome them both with the warmth reserved for favoured sons. For ninety minutes they will be adversaries, but nothing can break what has been built over more than a decade.