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

Roma prepare for their first away match in the Champions League this season with a trip to Fenerbahce in Istanbul on 9 September. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will hold a press conference at 17:00 (Italian time) on the day before the match. Lorenzo Pellegrini, who has recovered from injury, is expected to be included in the squad and will provide an additional attacking option for Gasperini ahead of the fixture. Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano has been assigned to oversee the match. His most recent meeting with Roma dates to 7 November 2019, when he refereed the club's 2–1 defeat away to Borussia Mönchengladbach.

Roma return to the Champions League after seven years with a trip to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce on Thursday. The last time the club competed in Europe's premier competition was in 2019, when they lost to Porto in the round-of-16 second leg after extra time—2,742 days before this comeback. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has set the target of finishing in the top 24 of the league phase to secure a guaranteed spot in the playoff round and a path to the last 16. According to Gasperini's roadmap, Roma will need at least twelve points to guarantee their place in the playoffs.

Marten De Roon is settling into his opening weeks as a Roma player after nine years at Atalanta. Head coach Gasperini, who worked extensively with the Dutchman at Bergamo, brought him in to strengthen the midfield following the departure of Neil El Aynaoui. De Roon has already featured in the closing stages of Roma's match against Lecce, and he has taken a lighter approach to his adjustment by sharing a social media post of a video call with fellow countryman Kevin Strootman, the former Roma midfielder, asking for advice about life in the capital. Strootman spent five seasons in giallorosso between 2013 and 2018, making 131 appearances and scoring 13 goals. He became a fans' favourite for his combative style and the passion he showed for the club. De Roon's post joked about the situation, using his Dutch connection to seek tips on settling in at Roma. De Roon wrote on social media: "Happy to be here. There is only one Dutchman to call when you want advice on Roma." The post reflected the 33-year-old midfielder's sense of humour as he begins life at the Stadio Olimpico, tapping into Strootman's experience of the club and the city to guide his early months in the Italian capital.

Roma return to the Champions League for the first time since March 2019 tonight in Istanbul against Fenerbahce, with Gasperini naming an unchanged side from Saturday's Serie A victory over Atalanta. Paulo Dybala, the 32-year-old Argentine absent from the competition for four and a half years since Juventus faced Villarreal in March 2022, will lead the team's attempt to translate the attacking form that has already impressed in Serie A wins over Fiorentina, Lecce and Atalanta. Dybala has played 253 minutes across Roma's opening three league fixtures under Gasperini's management. Nahuel Molina is the sole fresh name in the starting eleven after building his career in Europe with Atlético Madrid and the Argentine national team. The squad will draw on the experience of players for whom the Champions League anthem is familiar, with Svilar, Mancini, N'Dicka, Hermoso, Koné, Cristante, Wesley and Malen all named. Malen, who leads the Serie A scoring chart this season, will compete at elite European level for the first time in Roma colours. The night represents a transformation of nostalgia into present pride on the competition's stage, where Dybala has most thrived in his career.

Roma enter the Champions League for the first time in seven years on Thursday evening against Fenerbahce in Istanbul, arriving on the back of three consecutive Serie A victories and with a squad that has absorbed Gian Piero Gasperini's identity. The club intends to bring the same aggression and forward-thinking approach that has impressed domestically to the continent's elite competition, though the standard will inevitably be higher. Paulo Dybala will be central to Roma's European night. Gasperini appears intent on leaning on his most experienced players to guide a return to the highest stage after a long absence. The squad blends proven European hands with Champions League debutants: Mancini, Koné, Wesley, Pisilli, Mora, Ghilardi and Lulli will compete in the competition for the first time, while De Roon, Molina, Balerdi, Hermoso, Malen and Dybala bring substantial European pedigree. Gasperini himself knows these nights well from his time at Atalanta and will attempt to transfer that experience to Roma without changing the team's character—one built on constant attacking intent and refusal to surrender. Matías Soulé is among the most anticipated performers. After physical problems last season and a summer marked by transfer speculation, the Argentine has rediscovered form with two consecutive goals against Lecce and Atalanta, plus a 93rd-minute strike that set the Olimpico alight. He now faces Fenerbahce, featuring Mason Greenwood, one of Roma's major targets during the summer transfer window. Roma arrive in Istanbul with confidence and a squad mixing veterans and debutants. While not obliged to compete as equals with Europe's strongest sides, they have the tools to become an awkward obstacle. Gasperini knows it well: seven years on, Roma return among the stars—and they intend to do so without fear.

Paulo Dybala will face the Champions League stage for the first time in over four years when Roma travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce on matchday one of the league phase. The Argentine forward last appeared in the competition on 16 March 2022 in Juventus colours and has accumulated 53 appearances and 18 goals across his Champions League career. He remained at Roma over the summer to lead the club in Europe after a strong start to the season, recording four assists in the first three Serie A matches. The Istanbul fixture will pit Dybala against former Roma striker Romelu Lukaku and Mason Greenwood, though Fenerbahce will be without suspended midfielder Guendouzi. For Roma, the match marks the Champions League debut of several squad members including Gianluca Mancini, Wesley, Manu Koné, Niccolò Pisilli, Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora, who will feature alongside more experienced European campaigners. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini appears to favour experience in his starting selection, with Nahuel Molina leading the race for the right-back role ahead of Emanuele Lulli, and Donyell Malen positioned as the central attacker, leaving the only outstanding decision on the attacking line between Soulé and Mora. Separately, the Italian Football Federation's Federal Prosecutor has opened a formal investigation into a verbal altercation between Atalanta chief executive Luca Percassi and Roma sporting director Tony D'Amico that occurred after the Roma-Atalanta match. With no federal inspectors present in the Olimpico car park at the time of the incident, Federal Prosecutor Giuseppe Chinè will now assess the evidence and determine any disciplinary action.