Dybala to lead Roma's attack as Gasperini's side faces Cardiff test

Roma face Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium today at 16:00 in a pre-season friendly that carries significant weight for the Welsh club. Cardiff, newly promoted to the Championship after immediate return from League One, regard the match as one of the most important appointments of their summer preparation. Around 10,000 tickets have already been sold, with further sales expected before kickoff. For Cardiff, managed by Brian Barry-Murphy, this is the final friendly before their official Championship debut on Monday 17 August. The fixture carries symbolic importance beyond the pitch. Cardiff have dedicated their matchday programme cover to Francesco Totti, reproducing the celebrated mural from Rome's Monti district depicting the former Roma captain with his finger pointed to the sky—an unexpected gesture of sportsmanship that has resonated with Roma supporters. Both clubs will use the WRU National Centre of Excellence in Hensol as their base during the visit, a facility chosen by Roma as their headquarters for the British tour. The match offers diagnostic value for both teams: Cardiff will test their progress since promotion against European-standard opposition, while Roma will gain their first serious examination of the summer tour ahead of subsequent friendlies against Newport and Brighton.

Roma will take on Cardiff City, a Welsh Football League Championship side, in their next fixture as they build momentum ahead of their Serie A campaign. Following their comeback win against Cannes, the Giallorossi are keen to maintain their form and keep supporters engaged. Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala are expected to feature and provide attacking threat for the club. The friendly represents an opportunity for Roma to continue preparations for the top-flight season in the best possible shape. The club will aim to avoid disappointment and carry positive results into their league opener. Fans can watch the match on either free-to-air television or via DAZN, with full team news and kickoff details available for planning.

Roma face Cardiff City tomorrow at 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT) at the Cardiff City Stadium, a 33,000-capacity ground, in their final pre-season fixture before the league campaign begins. Both teams trained at the same Hensol training centre in Wales today. Roma supporters are expected to attend the match. Cardiff, newly promoted to the Championship, has chosen to honour Francesco Totti ahead of the fixture. The match-day programme cover will feature an image inspired by the iconic mural in Rome's Rione Monti district, which depicts the former Roma captain with his finger raised to the sky celebrating a goal he scored against Napoli one week before Roma's third Serie A title. The Welsh club's fixture captain will be Perry NG, a defender born in 1996 who has been with Cardiff since 2021.

Roma director D'Amico is working across multiple fronts in the transfer market with Koulierakis set to arrive in the capital today. The Greek defender will undergo medical examinations before joining the squad's training camp in Wales. The operation is worth €16.5 million, with Wolfsburg retaining a 20 per cent stake on any future resale. Roma has offered €25 million (€23m plus €2m in bonuses) for Read to Feyenoord, but Nottingham Forest remains a serious competitor, having tabled a lower bid of €19 million plus €2 million in bonuses yet offering the player an agreement worth €20 million over five years. D'Amico is also pursuing winger options, with Nusa emerging as Gasperini's preferred target on the flank. Real Madrid has set strict conditions for Mastantuono—loan or buy-back clause—which Roma finds unattractive. The director believes either Endrick or Mastantuono could arrive; Endrick is the player who most appeals to him given his potential to rotate with Dybala in Gasperini's tactical setup. Matías Soulé remains in the exit door, with AC Milan circling. Leao is also on Roma's radar, though less advanced. Roma offered Kumbulla to Torino in an effort to reduce the asking price for Cacciamani, but Torino refused the deal outright.

Roma faced Cardiff, the newly promoted Championship side, in a pre-season fixture at the Helton training centre on Friday, with kickoff at 15:00 local time (16:00 CET, live on DAZN). The match offered the first real glimpse of how head coach Gian Piero Gasperini intends to deploy Castro, the Colombian forward nicknamed 'Torito' who joins Roma after two seasons at Bologna. The key question surrounding Castro's Roma career centres on his role in Gasperini's system: whether he will operate as backup to Donyell Malen or feature alongside the Dutch winger in a two-striker formation. Early indications suggest both players may feature for one half each in Friday's outing. The prospect of Castro and Malen playing together, potentially with Paulo Dybala operating as a trequartista, carries significant tactical intrigue, particularly against defensive systems built around a back four. In Gasperini's previous spell at Roma, he favoured widening Malen when opting for alternatives, though his broader managerial history demonstrates tactical flexibility up front. At Atalanta, he deployed varied attacking combinations: Muriel and Zapata with Gomez as trequartista; Petagna and Gomez ahead of Kurtic; and later Koopmeiners operating behind Hojlund and Lookman—showing a manager unafraid to experiment with multiple forward configurations.

Roma are actively pursuing multiple offensive reinforcements as the new season approaches in three weeks' time. Sporting director Tony D'Amico is working across several fronts to secure the four signings Gian Piero Gasperini has requested: two attacking wingers and two defensive fullbacks, contingent on the departure of Manu Koné. D'Amico finalised the Koulierakis deal yesterday—€16 million plus €1.5 million in bonuses and 20% of future resale profit to Wolfsburg—and continues to pursue Nusa as the primary left-sided target. The Friedkin Group's resistance to keeping Lorenzo Pellegrini as vice to Nusa appears close to weakening following further discussions with Ryan. The most pressing negotiation centres on Givairo Read, with Roma competing directly against Nottingham Forest. The English club has stepped back from an auction-style approach being fuelled by Feyenoord. In Madrid discussions on Wednesday, D'Amico established that either Endrick or Mastantuono are achievable targets. Endrick, the Brazilian prospect, holds greater appeal and would rotate with Paulo Dybala under Gasperini's tactical system. Matías Soulé's potential departure could serve as the financial lever; Roma stand ready to accelerate for Endrick after 15 August provided Real Madrid agrees to a deal structure beyond an outright loan.

Roma travel to Wales on Saturday 1 August for a pre-season friendly against Cardiff, kicking off at 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT). Donyell Malen starts in attack, with Castro on the bench in his first appearance of pre-season. Neil El Aynaoui returns to action after missing the opening weeks of summer training due to World Cup involvement. Robinio Vaz is available after recovering from a knee injury. Niccolò Pisilli remains unavailable and has not yet reached full fitness. The match will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN, requiring a subscription to watch on smart TV, gaming consoles (Xbox or PlayStation), or streaming devices including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and TIM VISION Box. The fixture will also air on free-to-air channel Canale Nove, though only as a delayed broadcast at 21:30. Roma fans can follow live updates via Forzaroma.info's live blog and the club's social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Roma faced Cardiff, the newly promoted Championship side, in a pre-season fixture at the Helton training centre on Friday, with kickoff at 15:00 local time (16:00 CET, live on DAZN). The match offered the first real glimpse of how head coach Gian Piero Gasperini intends to deploy Castro, the Colombian forward nicknamed 'Torito' who joins Roma after two seasons at Bologna. The key question surrounding Castro's Roma career centres on his role in Gasperini's system: whether he will operate as backup to Donyell Malen or feature alongside the Dutch winger in a two-striker formation. Early indications suggest both players may feature for one half each in Friday's outing. The prospect of Castro and Malen playing together, potentially with Paulo Dybala operating as a trequartista, carries significant tactical intrigue, particularly against defensive systems built around a back four. In Gasperini's previous spell at Roma, he favoured widening Malen when opting for alternatives, though his broader managerial history demonstrates tactical flexibility up front. At Atalanta, he deployed varied attacking combinations: Muriel and Zapata with Gomez as trequartista; Petagna and Gomez ahead of Kurtic; and later Koopmeiners operating behind Hojlund and Lookman—showing a manager unafraid to experiment with multiple forward configurations.

Roma will take on Cardiff City, a Welsh Football League Championship side, in their next fixture as they build momentum ahead of their Serie A campaign. Following their comeback win against Cannes, the Giallorossi are keen to maintain their form and keep supporters engaged. Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala are expected to feature and provide attacking threat for the club. The friendly represents an opportunity for Roma to continue preparations for the top-flight season in the best possible shape. The club will aim to avoid disappointment and carry positive results into their league opener. Fans can watch the match on either free-to-air television or via DAZN, with full team news and kickoff details available for planning.

Roma travel to Wales on Saturday 1 August for a pre-season friendly against Cardiff, kicking off at 16:00 local time (15:00 GMT). Donyell Malen starts in attack, with Castro on the bench in his first appearance of pre-season. Neil El Aynaoui returns to action after missing the opening weeks of summer training due to World Cup involvement. Robinio Vaz is available after recovering from a knee injury. Niccolò Pisilli remains unavailable and has not yet reached full fitness. The match will be broadcast live exclusively on DAZN, requiring a subscription to watch on smart TV, gaming consoles (Xbox or PlayStation), or streaming devices including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast, and TIM VISION Box. The fixture will also air on free-to-air channel Canale Nove, though only as a delayed broadcast at 21:30. Roma fans can follow live updates via Forzaroma.info's live blog and the club's social media accounts on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.

Roma started their pre-season campaign in Wales on 1 August, with a morning training session at Hensol followed by a friendly against Cardiff City at the Cardiff City Stadium, kicking off at 15:00 (16:00 Italian time). All eyes were on Castro, who was set for his debut, while Neil El Aynaoui returned from holiday and is fully available for head coach Gian Piero Gasperini. The majority of the squad was available, with Robinio Vaz having recovered from injury and Niccolò Pisilli progressing in his rehabilitation and expected to rejoin the group in the coming days. The club's pre-season schedule continued with another training session scheduled for 2 August at the sports complex, open to supporters and media. A second friendly fixture against Newport follows on 3 August at 19:00.

Roma arrived in Wales for their pre-season training camp on Tuesday, though roughly an hour behind schedule after switching flights due to an operational issue. The squad will be based at Vale Resort in Hensol and face Cardiff City in their opening friendly at Cardiff City Stadium on Wednesday at 16:00 local time (15:00 UK time). No morning training session is scheduled before the match. Santiago Castro, who has completed initial work at Trigoria, is primed to feature after his recent arrival, with Donyell Malen set to start as the sole new signing present. Matteo Koulierakis has not yet arrived for his medical examination; he is expected in the capital on Wednesday before joining the squad in Wales. Niccolò Pisilli has been recalled to the group as he continues recovery from a left soleus muscle injury but will not play. Robinio Vaz has fully recovered from injury and is available, while Neil El Aynaoui has returned after extended leave following World Cup duties. Approximately 10,000 tickets have been sold for the fixture. Shuttle bus services will operate every 15 minutes on route 95 between Cardiff city centre and the stadium from Wood Street (stop JB), beginning two hours before kickoff and running until the crowd has dispersed. Gates open at 13:30—90 minutes before the 15:00 local start. Around 100 Roma supporters are expected to attend.