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Dybala and Lautaro: Argentine friends reunite as Roma face Inter tomorrow at the Olimpico
·18 September 2026·45d ago

Dybala and Lautaro: Argentine friends reunite as Roma face Inter tomorrow at the Olimpico

Source: Il Messaggero – Roma

Roma host Inter tomorrow in a fixture that will offer early clarity on both sides' title credentials. Paulo Dybala and Lautaro Martínez, who won the World Cup together in Qatar in 2022, will face off again on the same Olimpico pitch where they celebrated that triumph. The two Argentine forwards represent starkly different football personalities: Dybala, born in Laguna Larga in Córdoba province, embodies class and technical beauty, while Martínez, from the coastal city of Bahía Blanca, has evolved into a lethal centre-forward and Inter captain in the mould of Javier Zanetti. They could have played alongside each other at Milan, and briefly did for Argentina, establishing a friendship that extends beyond the pitch to their families.

For Roma, Dybala remains the standard-bearer of the club's ambitions. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has stated he will only discuss the Scudetto "after the twentieth matchday", yet this clash represents a crucial crossroads to gauge how far the Giallorossi have come and whether they can genuinely challenge Inter's dominance. Among those who have worn a Roma shirt, Dybala is most comparable to Francesco Totti in his touch, passing ability, and shooting—qualities that echo the maestoso of the club's greatest figure, even without wearing the number 10. That shirt belongs now to Martínez, who has transformed himself into a champion striker bearing the captain's armband.

The numbers underline their different paths. Martínez has scored 177 goals in 380 Inter appearances and exceeded 20 league goals in three consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2024. Dybala's last goal came on 18 January, an unusual drought for a player of his calibre that Gasperini attributes to injury and an unconscious fear of shooting that will fade through regular playing time. In his absence, Donyell Malen has become Roma's primary scorer, but Malen speaks openly of receiving a "blessing" from Dybala. The Argentine's passing quality was evident in the goal against Turin, where Dybala's threading ball led to Malen's effort even before the finish that the statistics recorded. Both Roma and Inter now favour formations that use two forwards in close proximity—whether paired with two wingers in a 4-3-3 or two attacking midfielders in a 4-2-3-1—a tactical return to fashion driven by Gasperini and Chivu in Serie A. Roma often deploy a 3-4-2-1 that permits Dybala to find his own position alongside or just behind the primary striker.

Dybala chose Roma in the summer of 2022 after Inter pursued him, and the article suggests he has harboured no regrets despite winning fewer trophies at the Giallorossi.

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Roma will host Inter at Stadio Olimpico on 19 September at 18:00 in the fifth round of Serie A. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will conduct his customary pre-match press conference, but Corriere dello Sport reports that Inter manager Cristian Chivu has declined to participate in media activities ahead of the fixture—the first time this season Chivu has opted for silence before a match.

The fixture carries added narrative weight through the reunion of Argentine forwards Paulo Dybala and Lautaro Martínez, who won the World Cup together in Qatar in 2022. According to Il Messaggero, the two represent starkly different football personalities: Dybala embodies technical class and passing ability reminiscent of Francesco Totti, while Martínez has evolved into a lethal centre-forward and Inter captain in the mould of Javier Zanetti. Martínez has scored 177 goals in 380 Inter appearances and exceeded 20 league goals in three consecutive seasons from 2021 to 2024. By contrast, Dybala's last goal came on 18 January, an unusual drought that Gasperini attributes to injury and unconscious shooting hesitation. Dybala chose Roma in summer 2022 after Inter pursued him, and has reportedly harboured no regrets despite winning fewer trophies at the Giallorossi. In his absence, Donyell Malen has become Roma's primary scorer, though Malen has spoken of receiving Dybala's "blessing" and has benefitted from the Argentine's creative passing.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

“Paulo e Lautaro: argentini diversi. Inevitabile a pensarci bene. Prendete una cartina, un mappamondo o più semplicemente aprite internet con il cellulare: l'Argentina è l'ottavo stato più grande del mondo con una superficie continentale di circa 2,8 milioni di chilometri quadrati, così estesa da…”

Read the full article in Italian at Il Messaggero – Roma.

Read original on Il Messaggero – Roma →

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