France vs Morocco: World Cup quarter-final kick-off time, TV coverage, and likely line-ups

Alayah Pilgrim spoke to the club after Roma's Serie A Women's Cup fixture against Ternana, reflecting on a hard-fought victory. "It wasn't an easy match, on this field and against this team," she said. "We encountered a lot of difficulties, physically and in the duels, but we won with courage and hunger. We're happy." Pilgrim called the result a strong foundation for the season ahead. "It's a good start for us, but we need to work even harder in view of the Women's Cup and the season," she said. Roma's next match comes at home at Tre Fontane against Sassuolo. Pilgrim added: "The next match will be at home: we'll return to Tre Fontane, where we'll face Sassuolo. I can't wait for next week to come. Against Sassuolo we need to do good work."

Matías Soulé has reclaimed his place in Roma's starting XI for Sunday's match against Fiorentina after an impressive pre-season, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini confirmed. The Argentine winger had faced a difficult summer marked by transfer speculation and fitness concerns that drew criticism from Gasperini during the early days of training. Now in top form following an exceptional preparation, Soulé will partner Paulo Dybala in an all-Argentine attacking three, with Donyell Malen completing the trident on the right. Soulé has edged out Rodrigo Mora for the starting berth, the same trio that finished last season in Roma's Champions League match against Hellas Verona. Elsewhere, Gasperini has confirmed the debut of Molina on the right wing, with fellow Argentine Castro expected to come off the bench given that Malen has not yet reached full fitness. Wesley returns to full availability at left-back after recovery, while Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné are set to start midfield duties together. In defence, Mario Hermoso is favoured over Koulierakis. Gasperini has also promoted academy player Emanuele Lulli to the first-team squad following an impressive showing during the summer retreat. The coach said of Lulli: "He has demonstrated that he possesses the right characteristics to be part of Roma's squad. He will follow his development path."

Roma prepare for their Serie A opener against Fiorentina on Monday evening at the Olimpico, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini running through final selection details. The squad is virtually at full strength, with Lorenzo Pellegrini the sole absentee as he continues his rehabilitation programme. Gasperini has been resolving key tactical questions in recent training sessions as Roma adopt their familiar 3-4-1-2 formation. The main selection uncertainty centres on midfield and the attacking three. In defence, the back three will comprise Gianluca Mancini on the centre-right, Evan N'Dicka in the middle, and Mario Hermoso on the left. Molina will operate on the right flank and Wesley on the left, both tasked with providing attacking thrust and quick defensive cover. Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen are locked in as the attacking partnership. Gasperini is considering fielding young Rodrigo Mora in the number 10 role from the start, a move that would sacrifice some defensive balance but offer greater attacking quality. In central midfield, Niccolò Pisilli holds a clear advantage over Neil El Aynaoui in the battle to partner Manu Koné and provide dynamism and forward runs. This positioning could see Bryan Cristante start on the bench despite featuring heavily in pre-season friendlies. Roma will hold a final training session this afternoon at Trigoria before the squad remains overnight at the Fulvio Bernardini sports centre ahead of Monday's debut against Fiorentina.

Gasperini is preparing Roma's opening lineup for Monday's visit of Fiorentina, with the shape of his team already taking clearer form in the final days of the transfer window. The Stadio Olimpico will host Fiorentina, managed by Grosso, who despite their youth and last season's league position will present a stern test. Gasperini has identified Fiorentina's preference for a 4-3-3 setup during summer friendlies and is likely to counter with a 3-4-1-2 formation against their four-man defence, adapting his usual structure. That system would see Rodrigo Mora operating as the trequartista behind the Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen partnership, a position where the Argentine could make an immediate impact and deliver more options than Matías Soulé offers from the left flank. The formation can shift to a 3-4-2-1 during play when Malen presses higher up the pitch. Gasperini will keep some selection decisions until the final stages of Monday's match. Wesley and Molina appear set for the right flank, while Kostas Tsimikas contests the left-back role against Mario Hermoso for a starting place. The central defensive duel between Evan N'Dicka and Fiorentina's Kean will be a critical battleground — N'Dicka has struggled more than usual against Kean's pace and explosive moments from his time at Juventus. Fiorentina's Arthur Atta will be their wildcard variable, looking to disrupt Roma's defensive shape by dropping deep and unsettling the back line. Molina will have dual duties: creating danger down the flank through his runs while containing the constant forward drives of Valdepeñas. The final training session takes place this afternoon at Trigoria, where remaining selection dilemmas—including the Mora-Soulé contest and the Cristante-Neil El Aynaoui decision—will be resolved. Gasperini continues to wait for one more attacking wide player with different characteristics from Mora during the summer window. Monday brings the first competitive test of the season, a tactical chess match between two managers with distinct philosophies and clear identities. Roma will need a strong start in a title race that this year features more Champions League contenders than ever before.

Gian Piero Gasperini is weighing up his starting lineup for Roma's Serie A debut against Fiorentina, with Mora under consideration for a place from the start. Niccolò Pisilli is currently favoured over Neil El Aynaoui in midfield contention. Roma held their final training session at Trigoria today ahead of the match on 23 August 2026. The squad will remain in ritiro overnight before their opening fixture of the season.

Gasperini will settle his choice of attacking midfielder for Sunday's match against Fiorentina by tonight or tomorrow morning. Matías Soulé has been tested for a second consecutive day in training, but Rodrigo Mora and Bryan Cristante remain in contention. Should Cristante advance into that role, either Neil El Aynaoui or Niccolò Pisilli would partner Manu Koné in midfield. Roma's campaign starts from third place and a 65,000-capacity Olimpico crowd, but the foundation is Gasperini's core players. The coach continues to regard Paulo Dybala, Gianluca Mancini and Cristante as essential to the team. Dybala finished pre-season with 7 goals and strong physical condition, while Mancini and Cristante remain the anchors for solidity, charisma and balance. Former Roma player Dario Bonetti reflected on the club's great regrets in an interview. On a disallowed goal by Turone, he said: "The disallowed goal to Turone cost us the scudetto in a glaring way." He also recalled Roma-Lecce: "That was an unexplainable, cursed match: it still bothers me to talk about it now." On the European Cup final against Liverpool, Bonetti added: "We were penalised, their goal came from an obvious foul on me."