Derby postponed to Monday as early kickoff deemed unfeasible

Mile Svilar, Roma's standout goalkeeper, is trapped in a FIFA eligibility deadlock that has permanently blocked him from playing for either Serbia or Belgium. Born in Antwerp to a Serbian family, Svilar progressed through Belgium's youth system before accepting a Serbia call-up in 2021 for a brief appearance in a friendly against Qatar in Debrecen. Under FIFA regulations, that appearance—combined with his previous youth football for another nation—prevents a second change of federation. Belgium's federation attempted a legal challenge to equate his situation to Brahim Diaz's case, but FIFA rejected the appeal. With Serbia unwilling to select him and Belgium unable to, Svilar has lost a significant opportunity, particularly now that Thibaut Courtois has stepped back from international duty under Belgium manager Mark van Bommel. Despit the closed international door, Roma hold firm in their reliance on their defensive cornerstone. Svilar's statistics document consistent growth: since becoming first-choice under former manager Daniele De Rossi, he has registered 48 clean sheets, keeping a clean sheet in 38.4 per cent of matches played. Beyond his shot-stopping and low-range distribution work—decisive this season against attempts from Geubbels, Simeone, Muriqi and Bisseck—the 1999-born goalkeeper has shown marked progress in ball control and organisation of his defence. Without international commitments, Svilar's focus remains entirely on Serie A and Champions League fixtures in giallorossi colours.

AS Roma have established themselves as Serie A's most effective dribbling team this season, recording a successful dribble rate of 61.73% — a dramatic improvement that has placed them ahead of Inter (58.56%), Como (54.14%), Torino (53.88%) and Lazio (53.73%). The turnaround represents a radical shift from the previous season, when Roma finished near the bottom of the same metric with 39.23%. Donyell Malen and Matías Soulé lead Roma's dribbling statistics with 2.6 successful dribbles per match. Malen, who tops the league's scoring charts with 6 goals from Roma's 14, maintains an efficiency rate of 66.7%, while Soulé operates at 51.5%. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical approach has extended dribbling responsibility throughout the side: Rodrigo Mora averages 2.1 successful dribbles with 60% accuracy despite limited minutes, Wesley completes 1.7 per game at 66.7% efficiency, and defender Daniele Ghilardi has emerged as a surprising contributor with 1.9 dribbles per match at 73% success, reflecting an attacking system that involves defenders in the offensive push. Paulo Dybala trails the trend at 0.9 successful dribbles per match with 30.8% effectiveness, though he compensates through his playmaking, having already recorded 4 assists this season. Looking ahead, Gasperini intends to strengthen the attack further. For the January transfer window, he is seeking a trequartist with strong one-on-one dribbling abilities to increase the unpredictability of Roma's offensive play.

Roma have made an emphatic start to the 2026-27 season, claiming four wins and two draws across their opening six matches without defeat, and their attacking shape under Gian Piero Gasperini is becoming increasingly defined. The side have generated one of Serie A's strongest offensive phases, producing 111 total shots over six matches—an average of 20.6 per game—with 68% coming from the central area, 18% from the left and 15% from the right. Gasperini's system combines aggressive pressing, high tempo and collective play with relentless shot creation, generating 14 goals so far: 12 from open play, one from a set piece and one on the counter. Donyell Malen has emerged as the attacking focal point, already on six goals with 20 shots (10 on target) as Roma's primary reference point in the box. However, the creative engine runs through Paulo Dybala on the right flank. The Argentine leads Serie A for chances created (22) and assists (4), and has completed 201 successful passes, underscoring his centrality to Roma's build-up play. Gasperini's tactical identity also involves using inverted wingers—Wesley, for instance, frequently plays on the left to cut inside onto his right foot, a pattern that generated his goal against Juventus last season in a 3-3 draw at the Olimpico. In the match against Inter, Nahuel Molina, deployed on the left, finished with three shots. While Roma shoot most from the centre, the right flank proves most productive in creating opportunities, generating 39% of offensive chances. The combination of Dybala's creativity and the movement patterns Gasperini has installed suggest Roma's attacking threat remains multifaceted and difficult to defend, grounded in the manager's clear strategic blueprint of aggressive, high-tempo football that prioritises collective movement and continuous offensive production.