Gasperini aims for Champions League and trophy success after winning over Roma fans

Rodrigo Mora, who arrived this summer from Porto, has spoken about his early weeks at Roma while on international duty with Portugal's Under-21 squad. The 2007-born midfielder scored in his second appearance for the club against Lecce and has already featured in the Champions League, describing the experience as an important step in his development. Mora reflected on his transition from Porto, where he spent 19 years and played for the club for 10 of them. "It was a different change. I lived 19 years in Porto and played for Porto for 10. It's a different culture. But I'm happy with the change. It will be a positive change," he said. He emphasised his gratitude for Paulo Dybala's influence in his settling-in period: "He's someone I admired as a child, now to be able to play and train with him…to see the things he does, that few do…He's a humble person and has helped me a lot at the start of my Roma journey. I like him as a player and as a person. I'm grateful to be able to play at his side." On his goal against Lecce, Mora stated: "I love scoring. Scoring for Roma was beautiful, but I still want to score at Stadio Olimpico. It's special and I can't wait to score at Stadio Olimpico. I'm happy with my journey so far. The atmosphere at Stadio Olimpico is something really special and beautiful and it makes you want to play and score for Roma." He spoke candidly about leaving Porto, saying: "Farewells are never easy. It was difficult. It was a long period, it was my home. It will always be my home. All cycles close, they can reopen later. I'm leaving with a full heart, I was a champion with my club. I'm leaving as a champion and I'll continue to be another Porto fan, now supporting from Italy. I wish them good luck. I know things are going well, I hope they continue like that and that the second Scudetto arrives. I knew I needed a new challenge in my life. I'm grateful for all these years, but that's what I wanted, a new challenge in a competitive league like the Italian one." Mora also discussed his ambitions at Roma and his international prospects. "Football changes everything very quickly. Now I want to have a good season at Roma. I made my Champions League debut, it was an important step. I hope to win titles at Roma and play the best football possible. We're in a good phase, but it's a very competitive league. We're on the right track," he said. Regarding his Portugal Under-21 ambitions, he added: "It's everyone's dream. I've already been called up twice, I got injured. That's part of the game, we have a dream. Step by step, and continuing to work, one day it will come true."

Rodrigo Mora has spoken about his ambitions at Roma following his summer transfer from Porto, expressing determination to succeed after a positive debut followed by three consecutive appearances on the bench. The midfielder praised Paulo Dybala as a source of inspiration and support during his early days at the club: "He is someone I admired as a child, now to be able to play and train with him…to see the things he does, that few do…He is a humble person and has helped me a lot in this beginning at Roma. I like him as a player and as a person. I am grateful to be able to play at his side." Mora reflected on leaving Porto, where he spent a significant period: "Goodbyes are never easy. It was difficult. It was a long period, it was my home. It will always be my home. All cycles close, they can reopen later. I leave with a full heart, I was a champion with my club. I leave as a champion and will continue to be another Porto fan, now supporting them from Italy. I wish them good luck. I know things are going well, I hope they continue like that and that the second Scudetto arrives." He explained his decision to join Roma this summer as driven by the need for a new challenge in a competitive league: "I knew I needed a new challenge in my life. I am grateful for all these years, but it was what I wanted, a new challenge in a competitive championship like the Italian one." Mora has already made his Champions League debut for Roma, which he called "an important step". He outlined his ambitions: "Now I want to have a good season at Roma. I hope to win titles at Roma and to play the best football possible. We are in a good phase, but it is a very competitive championship. We are on the right path." On his prospects with Portugal's national team, he added: "National Team football is everyone's dream. I have already been called up twice, I got injured. That is part of the game, we have a dream. Step by step, and continuing to work, one day it will be realised."

Rodrigo Mora has spoken of his ambition to win silverware with Roma and deliver goals at the Stadio Olimpico following his summer arrival from Porto. The 2007-born playmaker, who scored against Lecce in his second match for the club, gave the interview to Canal 11 whilst with Portugal's U21 squad during qualification for the next European Championship. Mora reflected on the magnitude of his transfer after 19 years in Porto, where he spent 10 playing for the club's first team. "It was a different change. I lived 19 years in Porto and 10 I played for Porto. It is a different culture. But I am happy with the change. It will be a positive change," he said. He emphasized his desire to perform at the Olimpico: "I like to score very much. Scoring for Roma was beautiful, but I still want to score at the Stadio Olimpico. It is special and I cannot wait to score at the Stadio Olimpico. The atmosphere at the Stadio Olimpico is something truly special and beautiful and it makes you want to play and score for Roma." Mora praised Paulo Dybala as a crucial influence in his early weeks at the club. "He is someone I admired as a child, now being able to play and train with him...seeing the things he does, that few do...He is a humble person and has helped me a lot in this start at Roma. I like him as a player and as a person. I am grateful to be able to play at his side." On leaving Porto, Mora said: "Goodbyes are never easy. It was difficult. It was a long period, it was my home. It will always be my home. All cycles close, they can reopen later. I leave with my heart full, I was a champion with my club. I leave as a champion and will continue to be another fan of Porto, now cheering from Italy. I wish them good luck. I know things are going well, I hope they continue like that and that the second title arrives." Mora added that he wanted to perform well this season and win titles with Roma, having made his Champions League debut. "Now I want to have a good season at Roma. I made my Champions League debut, it was an important step. I hope to win titles at Roma and to play the best football possible," he said.

Paulo Dybala is dazzling Roma early in the 2026-27 season, with the Argentine leading the club to first place in Serie A thanks to his incisive performances. Dybala has already provided 4 assists—more than any other player in the division so far—and according to Squawka data, he holds the top spot across multiple statistical categories: most big chances created (8), most chances created overall (22), and most successful passes on the attacking third (125). His only shortcoming remains a goal—his last Serie A strike came in January against Torino. Roma face Como on the next matchday, an opportunity for Dybala to end his goal drought. The 33-year-old's creative brilliance has been central to Roma's strong league position. His eight big chances created and 22 total chances put him well clear of the competition in playmaking, while his 125 passes on the attacking third demonstrate his consistent involvement in Roma's attacking build-up.

Gianluca Mancini is poised to lead Italy's defence in the upcoming match against Belgium, with the Roma centre-back a permanent fixture in Roberto Mancini's tactical drills at Coverciano. The Italian technical staff have been working primarily in a 4-3-3 formation, and the Roma defender has featured consistently alongside Di Lorenzo, Calafiori and Coppola in recent training sessions. Mancini's presence offers the squad stability, experience and continuity as the final preparations continue ahead of the team's departure for Rome. Meanwhile, Roma are monitoring Giorgi Kvernadze, the Frosinone winger, according to reports from Nicolò Schira and confirmed by Il Tempo. The 2003-born Georgian has produced five goals and two assists across Serie A and Coppa Italia in recent matches observed by Roma scouts. Napoli are also tracking the situation. In his early Roma career, Rodrigo Mora has spoken of his experience since arriving. On the adjustment to Italian football, he said: "It was a different change. I lived 19 years in Porto and played for Porto for 10 years. It's a different culture. But I'm happy with the change. It will be a positive change." Regarding his goal against Lecce in his second Roma appearance, Mora added: "I like scoring very much. Scoring for Roma was beautiful, but I want to score again at the Olimpico. It's special and I can't wait to score at the Olimpico. I'm happy with my journey so far. The atmosphere at the Olimpico is something really special and beautiful and it makes you want to play and score for Roma." Mora also reflected on his relationship with Paulo Dybala: "He's someone I admired as a child, now being able to play and train with him…seeing the things he does, that few do…He's a humble person and he's helped me a lot at the start of my Roma career. I like him as a player and as a person. I'm grateful to be able to play at his side."

Rodrigo Mora, who arrived this summer from Porto, has spoken about his early weeks at Roma while on international duty with Portugal's Under-21 squad. The 2007-born midfielder scored in his second appearance for the club against Lecce and has already featured in the Champions League, describing the experience as an important step in his development. Mora reflected on his transition from Porto, where he spent 19 years and played for the club for 10 of them. "It was a different change. I lived 19 years in Porto and played for Porto for 10. It's a different culture. But I'm happy with the change. It will be a positive change," he said. He emphasised his gratitude for Paulo Dybala's influence in his settling-in period: "He's someone I admired as a child, now to be able to play and train with him…to see the things he does, that few do…He's a humble person and has helped me a lot at the start of my Roma journey. I like him as a player and as a person. I'm grateful to be able to play at his side." On his goal against Lecce, Mora stated: "I love scoring. Scoring for Roma was beautiful, but I still want to score at Stadio Olimpico. It's special and I can't wait to score at Stadio Olimpico. I'm happy with my journey so far. The atmosphere at Stadio Olimpico is something really special and beautiful and it makes you want to play and score for Roma." He spoke candidly about leaving Porto, saying: "Farewells are never easy. It was difficult. It was a long period, it was my home. It will always be my home. All cycles close, they can reopen later. I'm leaving with a full heart, I was a champion with my club. I'm leaving as a champion and I'll continue to be another Porto fan, now supporting from Italy. I wish them good luck. I know things are going well, I hope they continue like that and that the second Scudetto arrives. I knew I needed a new challenge in my life. I'm grateful for all these years, but that's what I wanted, a new challenge in a competitive league like the Italian one." Mora also discussed his ambitions at Roma and his international prospects. "Football changes everything very quickly. Now I want to have a good season at Roma. I made my Champions League debut, it was an important step. I hope to win titles at Roma and play the best football possible. We're in a good phase, but it's a very competitive league. We're on the right track," he said. Regarding his Portugal Under-21 ambitions, he added: "It's everyone's dream. I've already been called up twice, I got injured. That's part of the game, we have a dream. Step by step, and continuing to work, one day it will come true."