Gasperini and Fabregas: rivals in pursuit of glory

Roma face Como on Sunday 11 October in Serie A's sixth matchday, a fixture that pits not only Fabregas and Gasperini against each other but also two ownership structures emblematic of football's new global dimension. The Hartono family and the Friedkin Group have collectively invested over €1.5 billion in Italian football in recent years, each pursuing distinct visions for their clubs. The Hartono family, who transformed the Djarum group into an empire and hold a Forbes-estimated fortune of $43.8 billion, have invested approximately €390 million in Como since 2019. Their project encompasses football, academy, tourism and retail. With Fabregas as head coach and over €350 million spent in the transfer market—including €60 million for Nico Paz—Como has become an ambitious laboratory, though the club remains unprofitable with an operating loss of €132 million recorded in its latest accounts. The centrepiece of their plan is the Sinigaglia stadium redevelopment, scheduled for 2028. The Friedkin Group, whose fortune originates in the automotive conglomerate Gulf States Toyota (€14.5 billion revenue in 2025) alongside investments in luxury (Auberge Resorts) and cinema (Neon), brings personal wealth of $12.5 billion. Dan Friedkin has invested over €1 billion in Roma since 2020, injecting €824 million into the club's coffers after taking it private. Roma's losses have narrowed substantially: from €219 million in 2021-22 to €54 million in the latest accounts. Qualification for the Champions League has revitalised the project, which now awaits its defining moment with the new Pietralata stadium, approved in late September and scheduled for 2029.

Roma face a relentless stretch of nine matches in 28 days with no break, forcing coach Gian Piero Gasperini to deploy his full squad after limiting rotation heavily in the opening weeks. The campaign begins on Sunday with a top-of-the-table fixture against Como, followed within nine days by an encounter with Genoa and then Slovan Bratislava, Napoli, Cagliari, Udinese, Manchester United and Parma. Five of the nine fixtures will be away from home, with minimal recovery time between matches. Gasperini will be without Bryan Cristante for at least another week, but the rest of the squad is available. The first significant change will see Marten de Roon make his competitive debut. The most anticipated rotations will come in attack and midfield. Santiago Castro has featured sparingly while Donyell Malen remains in excellent form, but cannot play every game. In the attacking midfield positions, Matías Soulé, Rodrigo Mora and Lorenzo Pellegrini are all fit and ready; Soulé has been the most frequently used of the three so far this season, Mora has sat on the bench three times in succession, and Pellegrini has not appeared since April but is at full fitness. Gasperini will assess Rodrigo's training performance before deciding the team for Sunday—the Argentine trained in a recovery session on 8 October. The manager is leaning towards starting Mora at Como, deploying Soulé in the following match against Real Madrid, and selecting Pellegrini for the Genoa fixture. Such rotations are necessary given the congested fixture list.

Wesley was one of the standout performers in Roma's campaign last season, playing a decisive role in the drive to third place, but the Brazilian winger has endured a tougher start to the 2026-27 campaign, hampered by physical issues that have affected his consistency and output. During the international break, he chose to remain at Trigoria and work intensively with Gasperini rather than accept a Brazil call-up, prioritising his recovery ahead of Sunday's away trip to Como. The Como fixture carries particular weight for Wesley. In December last season at the Olimpico, he decided the match with a brilliant volley beneath the Curva Sud. In the return game, however, Como staged a comeback and Wesley was sent off for a second yellow card in a highly disputed incident—the contact with Diao was barely perceptible, perhaps only a slight touch involving Rensch. Those moments are now behind him. With just one assist in five league matches this season, Sunday offers the ideal platform for redemption. Roma need the true Wesley, and the winger has everything required to become a decisive force on the flank within Gasperini's system.