Dybala set to feature as mentor in EA Sports FC 27

Roma defender Konstantinos Koulierakis has opened up about his early career in Greece in an interview with Greek public broadcaster ERT on the programme Kalimera ipame?, and he has left the door open to a return to PAOK one day. The Greek centre-back, who is gradually carving out a place in Gian Piero Gasperini's squad during a particularly demanding period for Roma, described how he joined the PAOK academy. Koulierakis recalled that his trip to Thessaloniki had been cancelled several times before he finally made it. Joining the PAOK academy had been a dream, and he said he was overjoyed on hearing the news, although naturally also nervous. He was kept on from the third day, without having to complete a full week of trials. "Maybe they wouldn't have kept me if I had arrived earlier," he said. He moved to Thessaloniki alone, living for three years in the PAOK accommodation. His parents had been offered the chance to follow him, but he never asked them to come. "I wanted to face this experience on my own. From the moment I entered the academy, my goal was to reach the first team, and to make it. That's why I never thought I missed my parents. I was very aware of what I wanted." He trained with the first team at first, then took part in the pre-season preparation, and from there he broke into the senior side, where he also played. He spent two years in the first team before Wolfsburg came in, and he is now at Roma. "I had completed two full seasons at PAOK, a big club where there is pressure. We won the league, lost finals, I felt fulfilled and ready for the next step." Asked whether he would ever return to play in Greece, Koulierakis was clear about his preference. "Obviously I would like to play for PAOK. As a player you never know what the future holds, but certainly at PAOK, because I lived very beautiful moments there and PAOK made me grow. It showed me the way to become a professional."

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have set a club record of 28 goals after their first 10 Serie A matches, and the coach's influence is being felt in more than the table. Roma have also gone 17 league games unbeaten, a run that began seven months ago, and have scored with 14 different players. The article credits Gasperini's method, which has made a difference since last season, with improving both the collective behaviour of the team and the development of individual players, young and experienced alike. The clearest evidence of that work, the article argues, comes when Roma are under pressure. Several key players have been missing for weeks: Svilar, Koné and Dybala are all regular starters, and Pellegrini is also absent. Cristante has returned after three matches out and was a major presence at Udine. Despite the lack of players of real quality, Gasperini has kept his idea of football intact, and the team has not lost the identity that marks every match he prepares. At Udine, Gasperini made changes during the game to keep his 3-4-2-1 system without abandoning it. In the closing stages he pushed Ghilardi wide on the right, asking him to finish the match against Udinese as a winger, and moved Molina up into the attacking midfield role behind Castro and in line with Pisilli. Mancini came on for Soulé, taking Ghilardi's place in defence, and Ghilardi's move into midfield pushed Molina further forward. The attack was therefore reshaped from the starting line-up, which had Malen alongside Soulé and Mora. The second-half moves also raise the question of January reinforcements. Given the seriousness of Pellegrini's injury, added to the absence of the out-and-out striker who did not arrive in the summer, the article says Roma would benefit from two more attacking midfielders to give greater choice up front. Pisilli and Molina, a midfielder and a wide player, ended up in those positions at Udine. Gasperini is therefore expected to wait for two signings at the start of 2027. In the meantime, the article notes he has been creative in dealing with the emergency, as he did last year when he dropped Cristante into defence, and in pre-season he played Hermoso in midfield.

Francesco Totti has chosen the best attacking partner he played alongside at Roma, placing Antonio Cassano at the very top of his personal ranking. The former captain made the selection in a video on the Instagram page of Calciatori Panini, using the social media "pyramid" game. There was no doubt about first place, with Cassano at the summit of the pyramid. In the second row Totti placed Montella and Batistuta. In the third row he chose Balbo, Salah and Batistuta again. In the fourth tier he named Taddei, Delvecchio, Mancini and Perrotta. The ranking reflects Totti's view of the players he shared the pitch with during his long career at the club, from the 1990s onwards. Totti spent his whole career at Roma, from 1992 to 2017.

Roma are on an unstoppable run, with a 5-2 away win at Udinese the latest result in a record-setting start under Gian Piero Gasperini this season. The side have scored 28 goals in their first 10 matches, surpassing the 26 scored in 1960/61 and 2016/17. Counting the end of last season, Roma have gone 17 Serie A matches unbeaten, with Gasperini now targeting the 19-match unbeaten run Claudio Ranieri achieved two seasons ago, a mark matched only by the continuous run of Liedholm and Eriksson in 1984 and Andreazzoli and Garcia in 2013. Donyell Malen is outscoring Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane and is the league's top scorer, but he is not the only source of goals. Roma are flying on the wings of their attacking midfielders, with Mora and Soulé standing out. Everyone is finding the net for Roma, although four heavyweight names are still missing from the scoresheet, including Paulo Dybala. The absence of Dybala and Manu Koné is not a problem: without them, Gasperini's side have almost doubled their points-per-game average. The focus is already shifting to Manchester United, with the club's Champions League campaign now on the horizon. Roma's first league-phase matchday is 8 September 2026, and the squad's form has given the club a strong platform heading into the European fixtures.

Roma stayed in Friuli after their league win at Udinese to train at the Bianconeri's sports centre before heading to England for Tuesday's Champions League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which kicks off at 21:00. The club thanked Udinese on social media with the message: "Grazie per l'ospitalità". The session forms part of the plan to handle the two closely spaced fixtures without returning to Rome in between. In his post-match comments after the win at Udinese, Gian Piero Gasperini gave an update on the injured players, saying the return of Svilar, Koné and Dybala before the international break remains uncertain. Gasperini said: "Difficile. Ci spero. In teoria tutti e tre, ma potrebbe anche essere no per nessuno. Vediamo questa settimana, sarà decisiva." Of the three, the Argentine Dybala is reported to be closest to a return, recovering from a muscle injury. However, his call-up for Tuesday's game against Manchester United is considered unlikely. The Champions League match will be refereed by the Spaniard Jesús Gil Manzano. His assistants are Ayuso and Barbero, the fourth official is Munuera, the VAR is Del Cerro Grande and the AVAR is Fernandez. The most recent meeting between the referee and Roma was the Fenerbahce-Roma draw (1-1) on 10 September, the first matchday of the competition. The first encounter came on 7 November 2019, when Roma lost 2-1 away to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Europa League group stage. The pair also met on 22 February 2024 at the Olimpico, when Roma drew 1-1 with Feyenoord after extra time and won on penalties. Rome radio has praised Roma's current form. Fabrizio Aspri on Radio Radio said: "Su Mora lo stesso Gasp si è sorpreso, il suo desiderio era cambiare la Roma e renderla bella sugli esterni. A gennaio vuole l'esterno a piede invertito e manca anche un centrocampista. La Roma sta facendo miracoli perché è forte, ma serve qualcos'altro. Il giudizio su Mora è super-positivo, ma Gasp non vuole questo per gennaio." Andrea Pugliese added: "Ghilardi sta diventando molto importante, partita dopo partita sta crescendo sempre di più. Gasp mette sempre Cristante e poi gli altri 10. Cristante si è conquistato la fiducia negli anni. E' un giocatore fondamentale per l'economia della squadra."

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have set a club record of 28 goals after their first 10 Serie A matches, and the coach's influence is being felt in more than the table. Roma have also gone 17 league games unbeaten, a run that began seven months ago, and have scored with 14 different players. The article credits Gasperini's method, which has made a difference since last season, with improving both the collective behaviour of the team and the development of individual players, young and experienced alike. The clearest evidence of that work, the article argues, comes when Roma are under pressure. Several key players have been missing for weeks: Svilar, Koné and Dybala are all regular starters, and Pellegrini is also absent. Cristante has returned after three matches out and was a major presence at Udine. Despite the lack of players of real quality, Gasperini has kept his idea of football intact, and the team has not lost the identity that marks every match he prepares. At Udine, Gasperini made changes during the game to keep his 3-4-2-1 system without abandoning it. In the closing stages he pushed Ghilardi wide on the right, asking him to finish the match against Udinese as a winger, and moved Molina up into the attacking midfield role behind Castro and in line with Pisilli. Mancini came on for Soulé, taking Ghilardi's place in defence, and Ghilardi's move into midfield pushed Molina further forward. The attack was therefore reshaped from the starting line-up, which had Malen alongside Soulé and Mora. The second-half moves also raise the question of January reinforcements. Given the seriousness of Pellegrini's injury, added to the absence of the out-and-out striker who did not arrive in the summer, the article says Roma would benefit from two more attacking midfielders to give greater choice up front. Pisilli and Molina, a midfielder and a wide player, ended up in those positions at Udine. Gasperini is therefore expected to wait for two signings at the start of 2027. In the meantime, the article notes he has been creative in dealing with the emergency, as he did last year when he dropped Cristante into defence, and in pre-season he played Hermoso in midfield.