Gasperini confirms Roma squad for Cannes friendly; Cherubini ruled out with fever

Former Roma Primavera coach Gianluca Falsini has spoken about the rise of Emanuele Lulli, explaining how he moved the defender into the position he plays for Roma today. Speaking to Sky Sport, Falsini said: "At first he played as a midfielder inside the pitch, not as a winger, and with us he played as a right-back. When we played with three at the back he played as the fifth, as he is doing now with Gasperini." Falsini, now head coach of Como Primavera, worked with Lulli for two and a half years in the youth set-up. He said he had not expected Lulli to have this impact. The former Roma youth coach also praised the player's character and his background. Falsini said: "With Emanuele I had two and a half years of work, and my merit, which remains there, is having moved him into the position where he plays now at Roma. He is a boy with incredible moral qualities, and credit must be given to the family for doing a magnificent job with this boy. He used to come to the training ground knowing he was not among the best, but he had incredible potential. What he is doing well now is all down to him and to Gasperini, who has valued him."

Roma have named their squad for the big match at the Maradona against Napoli, which takes place less than 24 hours after the list was released. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will be without Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar, who are all out. The club's list includes two Primavera players, Di Nunzio and Camara. Gasperini's only selection doubt is in the attacking midfield, where Bryan Cristante, Rodrigo Mora and Niccolò Pisilli are competing for a place. Pisilli is considered the likeliest to get the nod to play alongside Matías Soulé, not least because of his current form. Napoli, for their part, are getting back Rrahmani and Vergara, but will have to do without Neres, Favasuli, Buongiorno and Alisson Santos. Roma also want to end a long run against Allegri's side. They have not won away against Napoli since 2010, a wait of 16 years. That last win came on 18 December, when the decisive goal was scored by Borriello.

Cristante is in Roma's squad for the trip to Napoli, according to the squad list published by Il Messaggero. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is short in the final third, with Pellegrini, Dybala, Svilar and Koné all sidelined. He has only Mora and Soulé behind Malen, and is considering playing Cristante further forward. The squad list names Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley in defence; Cristante, De Roon, Mora and Pisilli in midfield; and Malen, Soulé and Castro in attack. Camara and Di Nunzio are also listed. The situation is serious enough that Roma are expected to act in the January transfer window. The club must spend to give Gasperini at least two reinforcements between attack and the flanks. Gittens and Leweling remain on the list, and the club has not ruled out the complicated pursuit of Endrick. A new left-back name has emerged: Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, who is finding few minutes under Flick and has been offered by Jorge Mendes. His name joins that of Oosterwolde. Sky Sport reports that Roma are close to the final details of a contract renewal for Lulli, which would run to 2031. The deal has not yet been officially announced, and the last points must be settled before it is formalised. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport at the Amsterdam stop of the EA7 World Legends Padel Tour, Stekelenburg was asked about Svilar. He said: "If I had to put him in the top five... no, not yet. After all, there are Courtois, Neuer and others. But he is a young lad and he is doing an excellent job. He just has to keep growing." Asked to choose between Højlund and Malen if he were a sporting director, Graziani said: "Malen without thinking twice. Hojlund I like a lot, and sometimes he looks to me like a 'little Lukaku' the way he leads the attack and the physical battles he takes on, and he has a great sense of goal; but Malen is my ideal striker, for the way he attacks space, for his dribbling, for the acceleration he has in the last twenty metres and because he can roam across the whole attacking front."

Roma travel to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona to face Napoli, coached by Massimiliano Allegri, on Saturday 24 October at 18:00 in the big match of Serie A's eighth matchday. Roma return to league action after a comfortable win in the Champions League, a 4-0 victory over Slovan Bratislava, and arrive on the back of a 2-0 win over Genoa in their last league outing. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are unbeaten in Serie A this season, with 17 points from seven matchdays, third place in the table and just three goals conceded. Napoli are in a very different position, stuck on 10 points after a surprising 1-0 defeat at Venezia. They have, however, regained some confidence in Europe with a hard-fought 4-3 win over Bodø/Glimt. On the Napoli side, Allegri is expected to line up in a 4-3-3, with Milinkovic-Savic favoured over Meret in goal. Buongiorno is out, while Rrahmani is a doubt after a fever, with Badiashile and Rafa Marin ready to step in. In midfield De Bruyne, Anguissa and McTominay start, with Lobotka the alternative. Højlund returns to lead the attack, flanked by Politano and either Lang or Giovane. David Neres, Alisson Santos and Favasuli are absent. For Roma, Gasperini has Cristante back, although it is still unclear whether he will start from the outset. Svilar, Koné, Dybala and Pellegrini remain out, so Gollini is confirmed in goal. Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso are favoured at the back, with Lulli and Wesley on the flanks. De Roon and Pisilli are ahead in the race for central midfield places, while Malen returns up front, supported by Soulé and Cristante, with Mora the only alternative to the former Atalanta man. The match will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN, with a major change: the Maradona clash will also be available free of charge to non-subscribers. Viewers only need to register on the DAZN platform without taking out a subscription to access the live stream. Coverage starts at 17:00, with kick-off at 18:00 on Saturday 24 October. Pierluigi Pardo will commentate, alongside technical analyst Fabio Bazzani. Updated odds make Roma slight favourites. A Napoli win is priced on average between 2.75 and 2.90, a draw around 3.30-3.50, and a Roma win between 2.35 and 2.45. The gap is minimal, suggesting bookmakers expect a very balanced contest. Over and Under 2.5 goals markets are practically level. Roma have an impressive defensive record, conceding just three goals in seven matchdays and keeping clean sheets in their three league away games at Lecce, Torino and Como. Napoli, however, have scored in every Serie A game played at the Maradona. The most popular predicted correct score is 1-1.

Cristante is in Roma's squad for the trip to Napoli, according to the squad list published by Il Messaggero. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is short in the final third, with Pellegrini, Dybala, Svilar and Koné all sidelined. He has only Mora and Soulé behind Malen, and is considering playing Cristante further forward. The squad list names Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley in defence; Cristante, De Roon, Mora and Pisilli in midfield; and Malen, Soulé and Castro in attack. Camara and Di Nunzio are also listed. The situation is serious enough that Roma are expected to act in the January transfer window. The club must spend to give Gasperini at least two reinforcements between attack and the flanks. Gittens and Leweling remain on the list, and the club has not ruled out the complicated pursuit of Endrick. A new left-back name has emerged: Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, who is finding few minutes under Flick and has been offered by Jorge Mendes. His name joins that of Oosterwolde. Sky Sport reports that Roma are close to the final details of a contract renewal for Lulli, which would run to 2031. The deal has not yet been officially announced, and the last points must be settled before it is formalised. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport at the Amsterdam stop of the EA7 World Legends Padel Tour, Stekelenburg was asked about Svilar. He said: "If I had to put him in the top five... no, not yet. After all, there are Courtois, Neuer and others. But he is a young lad and he is doing an excellent job. He just has to keep growing." Asked to choose between Højlund and Malen if he were a sporting director, Graziani said: "Malen without thinking twice. Hojlund I like a lot, and sometimes he looks to me like a 'little Lukaku' the way he leads the attack and the physical battles he takes on, and he has a great sense of goal; but Malen is my ideal striker, for the way he attacks space, for his dribbling, for the acceleration he has in the last twenty metres and because he can roam across the whole attacking front."

Roma have named their squad for the Napoli fixture at the Maradona, with the match less than 24 hours away. Gian Piero Gasperini's list was released shortly after Napoli's own squad announcement by Allegri. Paulo Dybala is out, though he hopes to be back in contention against Cagliari. Manu Koné, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Mile Svilar are also unavailable. Bryan Cristante could return to the starting line-up. Two Primavera players feature in the squad. Di Nunzio made his debut against Genoa last weekend, and Mandjou Camara, a 2009-born striker, was already named in the squad for the game against the Rossoblù. The full squad is: goalkeepers Vásquez, De Marzi and Gollini; defenders Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi; midfielders Cristante, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora; and forwards Castro, Malen, Soulé and Camara. The selection gives Gasperini a largely established back line, with Cristante's availability a boost in midfield as Roma travel to face Napoli.