Gasperini recovers two defenders for Roma–Atalanta clash

Atalanta sporting director Cristiano Giuntoli confirmed that Marten de Roon requested a move to Roma during the transfer window that has just closed. Speaking at a press conference to present Frank Kessié, Giuntoli said: "When a player asks to leave, you have to listen to him. He asked us to go to Roma and we threw ourselves at Kessié." De Roon joined Roma's squad this summer after spending the previous season with Atalanta. Giuntoli explained Atalanta's approach to the midfielder's departure: "We're sorry, but we have to turn the page and move forward. Kessié is a player with personality who can help us in this new Atalanta." The signing of Kessié was presented as the club's solution to replacing the departing midfielder.

Santiago Castro entered Roma's match against Atalanta at the 62nd minute as an unlikely substitute, replacing the league's in-form forward Donyell Malen, yet the move proved to be the turning point in a game the hosts trailed. In his brief appearance, Castro struck the post and crossbar while providing two key passes, underscoring the quality of Roma's bench and prompting head coach Gian Piero Gasperini to praise his aggression. The Argentine's introduction illustrated the gulf between Roma's attacking depth now and the crisis that plagued them throughout the previous season. Last season Gasperini struggled with inadequate backup at centre-forward. Artem Dovbyk managed only 386 minutes in the league, while Evan Ferguson accumulated 776; injuries to both forced the coach into makeshift solutions, sometimes fielding a lone striker. Malen's January arrival from Dortmund transformed the dynamic, yet even then Gasperini was stretched thin managing the Dutchman's workload in a frenetic system that demands fresh energy. Castro's arrival this summer completes the picture. The forward combines goal-scoring instinct, the ability to run channels, ball retention and defensive work rate—qualities already evident in his early outings in red and gold. Gasperini's post-match verdict captured the shift: "The changes were good and that's what we were looking for—to complete this squad with substitutes who could give important help across matches. In finishing and in the forward area we were good, but we lacked intensity. We were sometimes too neat, aside from Castro's post and crossbar." Against Atalanta, Castro fired four shots—two on target and two off the woodwork—laying down a marker as a genuine alternative to Malen. Soulé scored, Molina offered fresh options on the flank and Balerdi commanded the defence like a squad veteran. Gasperini acknowledged the possibility of using both attackers together: "Castro and Malen together? It's an idea for the future. They can coexist, definitely. They can play together. We'll see; we're doing evaluations now. We'll have many matches so there will be chances for everyone and also to vary these systems." The contrast with previous seasons is stark. Roma's manager can now turn to a bench and find genuine competition for the starting eleven rather than, as José Mourinho once lamented, mere children. The scale of available rotation across the squad—particularly in attack and defence—represents a luxury rarely seen at Trigoria in recent years.

Roma will make their Champions League debut for seven years when they travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahçe on 8 September, their first taste of Europe's premier competition since March 2019. After winning their opening three Serie A matches, Gian Piero Gasperini's side returns to the tournament that has been absent from the Stadio Olimpico since the 2018–19 season, when Roma last played in it away to Porto in the round of 16 under Eusebio Di Francesco. The gulf between then and now is vast: that side held De Rossi as captain and featured Dzeko, Kolarov, Marcano, Manolas, Juan Jesus and Karsdorp in defence. Today, Roma take the pitch with fresh momentum and a manager ready for his 35th Champions League bench. For Gasperini, Istanbul marks a return to the tournament after his Atalanta years. Across 34 previous Champions League matches as a coach, his record stands at 12 victories, 9 draws and 13 defeats. His sole previous campaign outside Atalanta came in 2011 on Inter's bench, when he lost 1–0 to Trabzonspor at San Siro. Atalanta provided all 33 other appearances, including his finest hour: the 2019–20 quarter-final against Paris Saint-Germain, a result that stings still. Atalanta had led 1–0 thanks to Pasalic until the 90th minute, before Marquinhos and Choupo-Moting scored at 90 and 93 minutes respectively. His last Champions League outing was the playoff elimination against Club Brugge in the 2024–25 season, a 5–2 aggregate defeat. For Fenerbahçe, the wait has been even longer: 18 years since they last featured in the group phase, which was the 2008–09 season. Roma's drought has lasted seven years, their previous fixture coming on 6 March 2019, a 3–1 loss after extra time to Porto. Across all European competitions, Roma have played 111 matches, recording 41 victories, 27 draws and 43 defeats, with their finest hour the 1984 European Cup final against Liverpool, decided on penalties. Fenerbahçe's best European run reached the quarter-finals in 2007–08, when they beat Chelsea 2–1 at home before elimination. The two clubs have never met in an official fixture; their only previous encounter was a friendly on 19 August 2014 at the Olimpico, which finished 3–3 before 35,000 spectators in Roma's pre-season presentation under Rudi Garcia. Totti opened the scoring from a penalty at 26 minutes; Bruno Alves equalised from a free-kick six minutes later. Kuyt and Sow put Fenerbahçe 3–1 up in the second half before Mattia Destro's double at 82 and 86 minutes secured a draw. Salih Uçan, who had transferred from Fenerbahçe to Roma weeks before, appeared for Roma in that second half. Romelu Lukaku, who spent one season at Roma as their centre-forward two years ago, will lead Fenerbahçe's attack. He scored 21 goals in 47 appearances for Roma—13 in Serie A, 7 in the Europa League and 1 in the Coppa Italia—under both Mourinho and De Rossi before joining Napoli. Mason Greenwood, the English forward who came close to signing for Roma this summer before Fenerbahçe's intervention secured his services with a substantial offer, will also feature. Mattéo Guendouzi, the French midfielder, is suspended for four match days by UEFA—two of them suspended for a year—following the incident in the playoff against Lyon, and will miss Roma's visit and the subsequent match against Aston Villa. Vedat Muriqi, the Kosovo striker who returned to Fenerbahçe after a spell at Mallorca, has already scored three goals in seven appearances this season, including the decisive strike in a 2–1 win over Lyon that sealed qualification. Jayden Oosterwolde, the defender, was due to join Roma after arriving at Ciampino on 25 August, but a medical examination revealed a serious issue with his left thigh beyond the initial diagnosis. After Roma attempted to renegotiate and Fenerbahçe refused, he returned to Istanbul and underwent surgery in Finland on 1 September; he will watch from the sidelines.

Roma commentators have praised the team's attacking display and tactical discipline following a win over Atalanta, with radio panelists highlighting Matías Soulé's performance and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's growing imprint on the squad. Mirabella told Radio Romanista that Soulé was the standout performer, noting his immediate impact despite uncertainty over his future. "Today Matías Soulé felt at home," he said. Frequelli credited Mario Hermoso as the best player on the pitch, citing both his contribution to Roma's equaliser and his resilience after contributing to Atalanta's goal. Bighi echoed the praise for Soulé's growth and drew attention to Gasperini's tactical approach: "The manager is working very well. The squad has won not just through passion but through the work Gasperini is doing." Carina told Radio Radio that Roma has finally become "Gasperiniana"—reflecting the same style viewers saw in Gasperini's Atalanta teams. He noted an unusual tactical choice in the match, saying Gasperini won the game by removing two defenders: "If he hadn't taken off N'Dicka and Mancini, Roma would have suffered the second goal, because both struggle against Kristovic and go into difficulty. With Ghilardi and Balerdi, Roma regains the centre." He identified Rodrigo Mora as a player capable of beating defenders one-on-one but requiring development, while flagging the underlying financial burden: "The problem Roma carries with it is the cost: 50 million." Orsi credited Roma's fitness and tactical organisation, noting they have scored 10 goals across their first three matches this season. "Roma merits more than the 9 points in the league table," he said. Pruzzo expressed reservations about Mora, stating: "In a half he doesn't touch ten passes, though on a couple of occasions he did well. If he doesn't improve in level, I have the impression that something else is needed." Di Giovambattista highlighted Paulo Dybala's contribution of four assists in three games and praised the crowd's role in Roma's comeback. Pes told TeleradioStereo that Gasperini's next step must be restoring Dybala's goal-scoring form, adding: "Roma have conviction and hunger. Winning in Istanbul allows you to start a good path. It's a tough stadium to face, but Roma feel they can win the match."

A motorcycle collision involving Rome's police escort overshadowed Roma's build-up to their Champions League debut on Thursday. A 63-year-old local police officer suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries when his motorbike collided with a car at the junction of via Baldo degli Ubaldi and via Pieralice during the convoy to the team bus on Monday. The Roma squad and CEO John Galantic witnessed the crash, with Galantic requesting updates on the officer's condition. An investigation is now under way to determine why a vehicle was moving on a road that should have been closed to traffic. Roma have already turned attention to Thursday's Champions League opener against Fenerbahçe in Turkey. The squad undertook a recovery session at Trigoria on Sunday, with departure to Turkey scheduled for Wednesday ahead of the press conference and final training. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will assess Wesley and Evan N'Dicka, while Paulo Dybala's energy levels are being monitored after he played 96 minutes in Saturday's match. Nahuel Molina could start in place of Emanuele Lulli, favoured by his international experience, though Gasperini appears unlikely to make wholesale changes. Away supporters face further disruption. Following the closure of Roma's allocated section at Lecce, the upcoming trip to Turin is also at risk. Torino have suspended ticket sales pending decisions from the relevant authorities. The National Observatory on Sporting Events has deferred evaluation to the CASMS, which must rule on the away fixture. On the bench, Gasperini was stopped mid-celebration after the winning goal against Atalanta on Saturday. Assistant Mauro Fumagalli held the head coach back as he moved toward the Curva Sud, with the restraint serving a disciplinary purpose: Gasperini was already carrying a yellow card, and an exuberant display risked a red card and suspension for the Torino match.

Roma return to the Champions League for the first time in seven years on Thursday 10 September, travelling to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce in the League Phase's first matchday with a 18:45 kickoff. The match will be broadcast on Sky Sport and available to subscribers via Sky Go. Gasperini's side arrive in buoyant form after a 2–1 comeback win against Atalanta in Serie A, where Hermoso and Soulé scored in the closing stages, and have won their opening three league matches. Roma are expected to line up in a 3–4–2–1 formation with Svilar in goal, a back three of Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso, Wesley and Molina as full-backs, Cristante and Koné in midfield, and Dybala and Soulé supporting lone striker Malen. Molina and N'Dicka remain in contention with alternatives, and the squad picture will become clearer in training over the coming days. Lorenzo Pellegrini is almost certain to remain absent. Fenerbahce will be without Guendouzi, the former Lazio midfielder, who is serving a four-match suspension (two of which are conditional) following a fight during their qualifier against Lyon. The Turkish side reached the League Phase unbeaten through the preliminaries, eliminating Górnik Zabrze, Sturm Graz and Lyon, though they suffered a recent domestic setback when losing the derby to Besiktas after wins over Konyaspor and Samsunspor. In European competition they remain unbeaten across seven matches. Their probable lineup shows Ederson in goal, Semedo, Škriniar, Aké and Brown across the defence, Kanté and Yüksek in midfield, and Asensio, Aktürkoğlu and Nene behind striker Lukaku. This will be the first official meeting between the two clubs. Fenerbahce have won their last three home matches against Serie A sides without conceding, the most recent a 2–0 victory over Lazio in the 2012–13 Europa League quarter-finals. Official team lineups will be announced approximately one hour before kickoff, around 17:45 Italian time.

Roma's radio stations have given their verdicts on Saturday's victory over Atalanta, with commentators split between praising the performance and assessing the squad's depth ahead of the Champions League debut on Thursday. Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà said: "For now Roma are on full points alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will all be a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. In any case, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, then Pellegrini will return. Without excessive problems, then, the squad is sufficient; in January you can possibly fine-tune something at a quantitative level. In any case, you have 21 players, and good ones too: if you put them on the pitch you don't have a collapse in quality." Torri added that when a team functions well, a player rated 6 can look like an 8. Francesco Balzani highlighted Balerdi's impact as a substitute, calling it "decisive" and praising the victory as "a win in the Mourinho style with Gasperini's football." Antonio Felici stressed that the win over Atalanta showed Roma can succeed even when facing difficulty in the 90 minutes, representing "the victory of self-awareness." Simone Valdarchi echoed the praise for Gasperini's tactical substitutions, saying Balerdi in particular "changed the inertia of the match" and allowed Roma to escape the difficulties created by Krstović and return to dominating play. Nando Orsi noted Roma have scored 10 goals so far and represent "a complete team where everyone can score," calling them underperformers on 9 points in the league table. Lorenzo Pes said Gasperini's next step is convincing Dybala he can score again, noting the striker will want to feature in Thursday's Champions League debut.

Gian Piero Gasperini hailed Roma's mental strength after a comeback victory, telling Sky Sport that losing such a match would have been difficult to process. The manager praised his players' composure when trailing, noting that they refused to panic and maintained tactical discipline throughout. "The most important aspect was the comeback itself," Gasperini said. "We didn't throw anything away, we kept the field open and played with lucidity. Even if we had lost, it would have been difficult to talk about it." Gasperini highlighted the impact of his five substitutions, particularly the defensive changes. "The substitutions were very important," he explained. "When you keep attacking like that you spend a lot of energy and risk the match taking a different turn. The changes at the back were important too – Balerdi and Ghilardi came in and we had continuity of action even though they started dangerously." He also credited goalkeeper Carnesecchi as "extraordinary" but acknowledged his side lacked clinical finishing. "We had many slow shots and were rewarded in the end," Gasperini said. On his squad depth, Gasperini noted qualitative improvements despite numerical gaps. "In terms of numbers we're missing two or three players," he said. "Qualitatively, yes – tonight's substitutes proved it. On the bench I still had De Roon, Koulierakis and Rensch, and Pellegrini is out. The important thing is to avoid injuries because numerically we don't have a Champions League squad. Qualitatively we can make changes without drops in performance." Dybala completed 98 minutes and was not injured, though Gasperini noted fatigue from the heat and the physical demands of mounting a comeback. The manager said rotation will become necessary once fixtures intensify after the international break, with potential Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday schedules ahead.

Gian Piero Gasperini highlighted Roma's character and squad depth after a 3-2 victory over Atalanta in Serie A matchday 3. Roma came from behind following a first-half deficit, managing the physical demands of the heat to secure the win. Gasperini said of the comeback: "When you win like this, they are signals that the group believes in itself." The coach emphasized the importance of his substitutions in maintaining pressure as Roma fired 39 shots across the match. "The changes were important," Gasperini explained. "When you keep attacking like that you spend a lot of energy and might not score, risking the match taking a different turn. The defensive substitutions were key—the way Ghilardi and Balerdi came in, we regained continuity of play." He credited Atalanta goalkeeper Carnesecchi with crucial saves and noted Roma lacked their usual sharpness in finishing: "We were rewarded in the end." Gasperini addressed Roma's attacking options and injury concerns. Asked whether Santiago Castro and Donyell Malen could play together, he said: "They can coexist, we'll see as we go. After the international break there will be many difficult matches with opportunities for everyone, and chances to vary our system of play." Matías Soulé came on and was "decisive," while Nahuel Molina "gave us quality." Gasperini confirmed Paulo Dybala played the full 90 minutes but was "a bit tired," adding that "playing in these conditions, having to chase, you spend a lot." He noted the squad quality had improved: "In terms of numbers, no, but qualitatively tonight's substitutions prove it—I still had Marten de Roon, Devyne Rensch and Konstantinos Koulierakis on the bench, and I have Lorenzo Pellegrini out. The important thing is we have no injuries."

Roma's radio stations have given their verdicts on Saturday's victory over Atalanta, with commentators split between praising the performance and assessing the squad's depth ahead of the Champions League debut on Thursday. Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà said: "For now Roma are on full points alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will all be a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. In any case, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, then Pellegrini will return. Without excessive problems, then, the squad is sufficient; in January you can possibly fine-tune something at a quantitative level. In any case, you have 21 players, and good ones too: if you put them on the pitch you don't have a collapse in quality." Torri added that when a team functions well, a player rated 6 can look like an 8. Francesco Balzani highlighted Balerdi's impact as a substitute, calling it "decisive" and praising the victory as "a win in the Mourinho style with Gasperini's football." Antonio Felici stressed that the win over Atalanta showed Roma can succeed even when facing difficulty in the 90 minutes, representing "the victory of self-awareness." Simone Valdarchi echoed the praise for Gasperini's tactical substitutions, saying Balerdi in particular "changed the inertia of the match" and allowed Roma to escape the difficulties created by Krstović and return to dominating play. Nando Orsi noted Roma have scored 10 goals so far and represent "a complete team where everyone can score," calling them underperformers on 9 points in the league table. Lorenzo Pes said Gasperini's next step is convincing Dybala he can score again, noting the striker will want to feature in Thursday's Champions League debut.

Roma's remarkable late comeback against Atalanta has impressed pundit Lele Adani, who analysed the performance on La Domenica Sportiva. Mario Hermoso equalised in the 89th minute before Roma scored again within three minutes, with Adani highlighting the intensity of the attack: Matías Soulé, Paulo Dybala and Santiago Castro all shot during that spell, firing once every 40 seconds in September heat at the Stadio Olimpico with the thermometer at 35 degrees. Adani drew parallels to Gasperini's Atalanta sides, describing Roma's display as an act of faith rather than conventional football. He was struck by Roma's persistence in creating chances even when the match appeared lost and the crowd's overwhelming support. The club completed 39 shots across the entire fixture, which Adani called epic football shaped by the team's determination to attack in the final minutes.

Roma claimed a dramatic late victory against Atalanta on Saturday, with goals from Mario Hermoso and Matías Soulé securing the win in the final moments despite playing in 35-degree heat at the third matchday of the season. Lele Adani praised head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's influence on the performance during La domenica sportiva, drawing comparisons to the Atalanta teams Gasperini previously managed. Adani highlighted Roma's attacking intensity in the decisive phase. "The Roma drew level in the 89th minute with Hermoso, then scored three minutes later," Adani said. "In those minutes they shot four times, so once every 40 seconds. They shot from Soulé, Dybala, Castro, and then Matías scored. Atalanta's Gasperini used to do this because his matches are acts of faith—it wasn't a football match but a piece of history, and then the Olimpico drowns you out. Roma had 39 shots; it was an epic match."