Fabregas and Italy federation clash over Kean injury ahead of Como–Roma

Roma travel to the Stadio Giuseppe Sinigaglia on Sunday 11 October at 12:30 for their sixth Serie A match of the season against Como, managed by Cesc Fabregas. Roma come off the international break with 13 points from five matches and an unbeaten record of four consecutive wins and a 2–2 draw with Inter. Como sit on 10 points and look to bounce back from their first defeat of the season, a 2–0 loss at Frosinone. Gasperini's side face significant injury losses. Mile Svilar has suffered a non-displaced stress fracture to the fifth toe of his foot and will be out for at least a month, with Pierluigi Gollini taking his place in goal. Bryan Cristante is sidelined by knee inflammation, and Konstantinos Koulierakis has a strong contusion from his national team commitments; the Greek defender is expected back next week. Both are absent from the squad list. Roma's expected formation is 3–4–2–1: Gollini in goal; Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso in defence; Nahuel Molina and Wesley on the flanks; Marten de Roon and Manu Koné in midfield; Paulo Dybala and Rodrigo Mora in the attacking midfield; and Donyell Malen leading the attack. N'Dicka is favoured over Leonardo Balerdi, who returned later from Argentina. Wesley has fully recovered. De Roon's appearance would mark one of his first starts since arriving at Roma. Lorenzo Pellegrini is fully fit after the break helped restore him to peak condition, but is expected to begin from the bench. Matías Soulé returned later following Argentina duty. Como will line up in 4–2–3–1 with Butez in goal; Yan Couto, Jacobo Ramón, Chalobah and Álex Valle in defence; Da Cunha and Perrone in midfield; Diao, Nico Paz and Baturina in the attacking midfield; and Douvikas leading the attack. Moise Kean is unavailable due to a physical problem sustained with his national team and will miss around seven to ten days. The match is broadcast exclusively on DAZN, available via the DAZN app on smart TV, smartphone, tablet, console and computer, and on DAZN 1 (channel 214) for Sky subscribers who have activated the DAZN option. Referee Michael Fabbri (Ravenna) will be in charge.

Mile Svilar suffered a stress fracture to the fifth metatarsal of his right foot during a training session at Trigoria on 2 October, forcing Roma to reshape their goalkeeper options for a demanding fixture run. Pierluigi Gollini will start against Como, while Devis Vasquez has been officially reintegrated into the Serie A and UEFA squad lists to provide cover during Svilar's absence. The Serbian keeper was instrumental last season, recording a 77% save success rate. Gian Piero Gasperini faces a significant setback at a crucial point in the campaign. Orthopedic expert Elvira Di Cave analysed the injury trajectory and outlined recovery scenarios. The exact nature of the fracture — whether to the fifth digit or the fifth metatarso — determines treatment and timeline. Di Cave explained: "If we are talking about the fifth digit, the fracture would not require screw insertion and would not be particularly disabling, even for a goalkeeper. The situation is different if we are talking about a stress fracture to the fifth metatarso, an hypothesis I consider far more probable given the trauma type." Roma confirmed the lesion involves the fifth metatarso. Di Cave stated that surgical intervention on a metatarsal stress fracture offers the fastest path back: "Using magnetic field therapy to accelerate calcification, the player could begin pool-based rehabilitation as soon as the scar allows. In this way, approximately four weeks of absence can be anticipated before seeing him return regularly to the pitch. A lesion limited solely to the digit would have much shorter and almost trivial resolution times." The club's medical staff are openly discussing a return only after the international break, emphasizing that an earlier comeback would be an unlikely exception.

Mile Svilar will miss far more than the Como match after suffering a microfracture to his fifth toe in training. The goalkeeper will not return until after the international break, sidelining him for Roma's next nine fixtures across 28 days starting tomorrow. Svilar posted on social media: "I didn't need this right now, but it's part of the game. I'm already focused on my recovery and determined to come back stronger than ever. In the meantime, forza Roma always! Trust in progress." Pierluigi Gollini will step in as Roma's goalkeeper. Gollini has not played a Serie A match since 5 October 2024, though he featured for Roma in January against Panathinaikos in the Europa League. The injury forces head coach Gian Piero Gasperini to call Friedkin Group ownership, urging greater active involvement in the club's direction.