Fenerbahçe hopeful of overturning Guendouzi suspension ahead of Roma Champions League opener

Rodrigo Mora is among the young players set to make their Champions League debuts on matchday one this season. The Roma midfielder has been highlighted by the New York Times in a list of ten young players to watch in this year's competition, earning a striking comparison to Lionel Messi. The New York Times article described Mora as "a small playmaker of 168 cm who shines with his long hair, and comparisons with a young Lionel Messi are inevitable." While acknowledging that "Mora does not possess Messi's supernatural ability, the stylistic similarities are there." Like the Argentine, Mora operates freely between the lines, seeking the ball from teammates before driving toward goal, and his dribbling style is characterised by feints and changes of direction. The piece noted his typical pattern: "Mora collects the ball on the left flank and runs toward the defender to mark and beat him, as he did against Fiorentina."

Roma have announced the start of public ticket sales for their Champions League match against Real Madrid on Wednesday, 14 October at 21:00 at the Stadio Olimpico. The fixture represents Matchday 2 of the league phase and marks the return of José Mourinho to the capital in his role as Real Madrid manager. Tickets go on sale on Tuesday, 8 September at 12:00, with each supporter able to purchase up to four tickets per transaction. This will be Roma's first home Champions League match in seven years, following their appearance against Porto on 12 February 2019 (a 2–1 Roma win). The match precedes Roma's opening Champions League fixture, scheduled for Thursday, 10 September at 18:45 away to Fenerbahce in Turkey. Real Madrid's squad includes Mbappé, Bellingham, Vinícius, Rodrygo and Arda Güler. All tickets will be issued exclusively in digital format, downloadable to the user's phone wallet or via the IL MIO POSTO app; no PDF file will be sent. Supporters holding 2026–27 Plus Cup subscriptions may access a resale service from 10:00 on Friday, 11 September 2026. The user-change service for individual tickets opens at 10:00 on Wednesday, 7 October. Ticket swaps for 2026–27 Cup subscribers are unavailable this season.

Roma return to the UEFA Champions League on Thursday at 18:45 with a trip to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce at Stadio Şükrü Saracoğlu. Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano will take charge of the match, with assistants Diego Barbero and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso. César Soto Grado handles VAR duties, with Valentín Gómez as AVAR and Juan Martínez Munuera as fourth official. Gil Manzano is not unfamiliar with Roma. His most distant previous encounter came on 7 November 2019, when he refereed Roma's 2–1 defeat away at Borussia Mönchengladbach. His more recent meeting came in a Europa League playoff return against Feyenoord, which Roma won on penalties, with Mile Svilar delivering a standout performance.