Gasperini and Abate: experience meets debutant as Torino prepare to host Roma

Gian Piero Gasperini held his pre-match press conference at 13:30 on 13 September from Trigoria ahead of Roma's fourth-round Serie A fixture against Torino on Monday 14 September at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, with kickoff at 18:30. The head coach addressed several topics in the buildup to the match, a second fixture in five days for Roma. Emanuele Lulli has recovered from injury, but Gasperini fielded questions about the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini. The discussion also covered a potential minor rotation in the squad ahead of facing Torino manager Abate. The press conference came a few days after Roma's opening Champions League match, which ended in a draw against Fenerbahce. Gasperini's full remarks were made available following the conference.

Emanuele Lulli will be available for Gian Piero Gasperini in Roma's match against Torino on 14 September after recovering from an intestinal virus he suffered in recent days. The 19-year-old, who plays as a defender, is expected to start in the Serie A fixture at Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, the club's fourth league match of the season. Lulli had contracted the virus without fever, according to Sky Sport journalist Angelo Mangiante. The Palestrina-born player had featured in Roma's opening three Serie A games before being named on the bench for the Champions League debut at home against Fenerbahce. He will train normally today, though the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini remains under observation.

After three league matches and nine points, Roma face their first genuine fixture congestion on the back of Champions League action midweek. Gian Piero Gasperini must now navigate his first serious turnover decision, with Manu Koné sidelined by a knee problem, Paulo Dybala cramping through the closing stages, and Gianluca Mancini appearing fatigued before his substitution. The manager faces a delicate balance: rotation has become unavoidable, but wholesale change could disrupt the coordinated pressing, tight spacing, immediate aggression after possession loss, and attacking patterns that have been central to Roma's bright start. Gasperini has built Roma's perfect opening around a squad that has rapidly learned to recognise itself. Making too many changes at once risks undermining those automatisms. Yet selective intervention is inevitable. Without Koné, Niccolò Pisilli appears the natural solution alongside Bryan Cristante; deploying Marten de Roon, though he has the deepest familiarity with Gasperini, would require him to build understanding with new teammates. In attack, resting Dybala makes sense, with Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora able to provide freshness behind Donyell Malen without overturning the offensive identity. Mancini also warrants consideration—he appeared below his usual standard in Istanbul, while Leonardo Balerdi brought aggression and intensity after entering the pitch. The real test lies in the principle Gasperini must master: having no untouchable starting eleven, yet changing three or four players without the football itself changing. Roma arrive at Torino with a perfect record and, more valuably than nine points, a recognisable shape. Three or four changes can regenerate; seven or eight risk creating a different team entirely. The paradox would be protecting energy by sacrificing the very continuity that has made the season's start so strong. For the first time, Gasperini must genuinely manage the squad rather than simply select the strongest team. That quality—doing turnover so well it barely shows—will define whether Roma can sustain their level across multiple competitions.

After three league matches and nine points, Roma face their first genuine fixture congestion on the back of Champions League action midweek. Gian Piero Gasperini must now navigate his first serious turnover decision, with Manu Koné sidelined by a knee problem, Paulo Dybala cramping through the closing stages, and Gianluca Mancini appearing fatigued before his substitution. The manager faces a delicate balance: rotation has become unavoidable, but wholesale change could disrupt the coordinated pressing, tight spacing, immediate aggression after possession loss, and attacking patterns that have been central to Roma's bright start. Gasperini has built Roma's perfect opening around a squad that has rapidly learned to recognise itself. Making too many changes at once risks undermining those automatisms. Yet selective intervention is inevitable. Without Koné, Niccolò Pisilli appears the natural solution alongside Bryan Cristante; deploying Marten de Roon, though he has the deepest familiarity with Gasperini, would require him to build understanding with new teammates. In attack, resting Dybala makes sense, with Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora able to provide freshness behind Donyell Malen without overturning the offensive identity. Mancini also warrants consideration—he appeared below his usual standard in Istanbul, while Leonardo Balerdi brought aggression and intensity after entering the pitch. The real test lies in the principle Gasperini must master: having no untouchable starting eleven, yet changing three or four players without the football itself changing. Roma arrive at Torino with a perfect record and, more valuably than nine points, a recognisable shape. Three or four changes can regenerate; seven or eight risk creating a different team entirely. The paradox would be protecting energy by sacrificing the very continuity that has made the season's start so strong. For the first time, Gasperini must genuinely manage the squad rather than simply select the strongest team. That quality—doing turnover so well it barely shows—will define whether Roma can sustain their level across multiple competitions.

Torino face Roma on Monday 14 September at 18:30 in Serie A's fourth round. Torino manager Abate is considering a 3-5-1-1 formation to provide extra defensive protection, according to La Stampa. The defender Coco is available after completing group training on Sunday following a traumatic contusion suffered at Fiorentina last Saturday. Abate must choose between Coco and Ismajli to partner Comuzzo and Comert in defence, while Mandragora will continue in midfield after scoring the classic ex-player's goal at the Franchi on his Torino debut. Gasperini will manage squad rotation in the wake of Roma's Champions League commitments and with Inter's visit to the Olimpico scheduled for Saturday next. Abate's tactical setup is designed to create a trap for Malen, who has already scored at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino on 18 January during his Roma debut and is chasing an absolute Roma scoring record. The two managers will address the pre-match conference on Sunday, having already begun plotting their respective approaches.

Donyell Malen knows the way to the net against Torino. The Dutch forward scored twice on his Roma debut against Torino on 18 January at the Stadio Olimpico–Grande Torino, though one was ruled out for a marginal offside by VAR. After opening the season with a hat-trick against Fiorentina and a double against Lecce, Malen has gone without a goal in his last two matches against Atalanta and Fenerbahce but will have a chance to rediscover his scoring touch tomorrow evening. A goal in that fixture would make him the third player in Roma's history to score more than five goals after the first four league matches of a season. The other two are club legends: Pedro Manfredini, who scored 7 in 1960-61, and Francesco Totti, who scored 6 in 2001-02. Malen wears number 14 and will be looking to add his name to that elite list at the Olimpico tomorrow.