Gasperini Recovers Wesley and N'Dicka as Hermoso Sidelined with Ankle Injury

Evan N'Dicka and Wesley have returned to full squad training at Trigoria as Roma prepare for their match against Inter at the Olimpico in three days. Both players are now available for selection after recovering from injury, giving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a double boost ahead of the fixture. Mario Hermoso, however, has stepped back into differentiated training due to a minor ankle contusion. His condition will be monitored over the coming days, though no particular alarm has been raised. Gasperini will use the next training sessions to finalise his team selection and assess Hermoso's full recovery before the Inter match.

Roma's perfect Serie A start continued with victory against Torino to secure four wins in four matches—a run the club has not achieved since the 2014–15 season under Rudi Garcia. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side are displaying a clear attacking identity matched by defensive solidity, having scored in all four league fixtures and built a goal difference of +11, among the best in Europe at this stage. Only Barcelona have outpaced Roma, with an impressive +17. Roma have conceded just one goal, placing them level with Arsenal among the continent's strongest defences. The excellence runs through the squad's individual performers. Donyell Malen has scored six goals in the opening four matches—an extraordinary return matching the output of elite names like Raphinha and Lamine Yamal of Barcelona, and trailing only Mbappé by one goal. Paulo Dybala's contribution is equally vital: the Argentine has provided four assists, second in the early season standings behind Barcelona's Gordon on five, with Jude Bellingham and others further back on three.

Luciano Moggi and Gian Piero Gasperini were photographed together at a bar in Turin on 15 September, prompting speculation among Roma supporters about the encounter between the club's current head coach and a figure long associated with Juventus and the Calciopoli scandal. Moggi, speaking to Radio Radio, clarified that the two have known each other for years from their time working together at Juventus, when Gasperini coached the youth academy and Moggi held a director's role. Moggi stressed that Gasperini requires no advice, saying: "Abbiamo parlato della partita, del più e del meno. La squadra è quella che è, è prima in classifica ma a prescindere da quello che sta dimostrando ha un'ossatura importante, un gioco importante. Davanti ha chi fa gol" ("We talked about the match and other things. The squad is what it is—they're top of the table, and regardless of what they're showing, they have an important structure, important football. Up front they have goalscorers"). Moggi also addressed Roma's comparison with Juventus, stating that Roma are superior across defence, midfield and attack, with particular praise for midfielder Manu Koné, noting that Juventus would be a different proposition if they had a player of his calibre. On Roma's title prospects, Moggi said: "La Roma si può giocare lo scudetto" ("Roma can compete for the Scudetto"). He highlighted Donyell Malen as a crucial acquisition, describing him as "Un affare per il rapporto economico-sportivo" ("A deal in economic and sporting terms"), crediting Malen with energizing teammates and improving Paulo Dybala's consistency. Moggi noted that Malen had been a reserve elsewhere, but that Italy's league offers such players a platform to emerge as starters. He concluded that if Roma maintain continuity with Malen, they can challenge Inter, with Gasperini described as "super" and the squad possessing quality across all departments. Roma face Inter on Saturday at 18:00.

Evan N'Dicka and Wesley have returned to full squad training at Trigoria as Roma prepare for their match against Inter at the Olimpico in three days. Both players are now available for selection after recovering from injury, giving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a double boost ahead of the fixture. Mario Hermoso, however, has stepped back into differentiated training due to a minor ankle contusion. His condition will be monitored over the coming days, though no particular alarm has been raised. Gasperini will use the next training sessions to finalise his team selection and assess Hermoso's full recovery before the Inter match.

Gianluca Mancini has silenced his doubters with an impressive performance, capping a week in which the Roma defender faced scrutiny over errors in matches against Atalanta and Fenerbahce. A selfie with children outside Trigoria yesterday underscored his commitment to the giallorossi colours. After coming under fire from some quarters who called for Leonardo Balerdi to replace him, Mancini delivered a strong showing, even taking the captain's armband after Bryan Cristante's substitution. Inter, who made a significant move for him in the summer, now face him as an opponent — a test of the resolve Mancini showed when he chose Roma over a financially superior offer elsewhere. The 23-year-old has committed his future to the club, signing a contract extension through 2029. He is expected to start on Saturday in the heart of Roma's defence alongside Mario Hermoso and either Evan N'Dicka or Balerdi as the team prepares to confront Inter's attacking threat. Mancini could have decided to face Roma as an adversary this summer, but rejected that path. Instead, he is set to enjoy a Serie A campaign that has begun with high expectations and his first Champions League season as a key player.

Roma stayed top of Serie A alongside Inter after four matches with a victory away at Turin, extending their perfect record. Donyell Malen scored again, but the standout feature was a third clean sheet of the campaign: Mile Svilar's record in goal has been breached only by Atalanta's Ederson. The addition of Leonardo Balerdi to an already-settled back line of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso has significantly strengthened the defence. Against Turin's forwards, Balerdi posted commanding numbers: 7 duels won, 11 defensive actions, 6 clearances—more than any other player on the pitch—plus 29 completed passes from 32 attempted, a success rate of 91%. He was combative in close defence and brave in pressing opponents into the attacking third. Gasperini benefits from the fact that Balerdi functions as an extra layer rather than a replacement for the established trio, giving Roma a more powerful shield while opponents face added danger in attack. The defence will face a stern examination on Saturday in a title clash against Inter, whose 13 goals make them the league's leading scorers. Last season Inter scored 6 goals against Roma—nearly one-fifth of all the goals Roma conceded in the entire Serie A campaign—a significant test of the giallorossi's defensive resilience.

Evan N'Dicka and Wesley have returned to full squad training at Trigoria as Roma prepare for their match against Inter at the Olimpico in three days. Both players are now available for selection after recovering from injury, giving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a double boost ahead of the fixture. Mario Hermoso, however, has stepped back into differentiated training due to a minor ankle contusion. His condition will be monitored over the coming days, though no particular alarm has been raised. Gasperini will use the next training sessions to finalise his team selection and assess Hermoso's full recovery before the Inter match.

Andrea Stramaccioni, a former coach of both Roma's and Inter's youth academies and a former Inter first-team manager, has offered his analysis ahead of Saturday 19 September's match between Roma and Inter at the Olimpico. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Stramaccioni drew on decades of experience with both clubs to assess the upcoming fixture and its significance. Stramaccioni recalled his first encounter with Gasperini in the summer of 2003 at Crotone in Serie C1, where Gasperini was already implementing his 3–4–3 system as a mantra. He described Gasperini as "a fury, in field and out", recounting how Gasperini once persuaded the club president to abandon coach travel in favour of flying to away matches to change the team's mentality. That season, Gasperini won the playoff against Viterbese and secured promotion to Serie B. Stramaccioni also praised Leonardo Balerdi and Paulo Dybala for their form this season, and singled out Donyell Malen as having elite striker's pace. On Inter, he noted that while Lautaro Martínez made errors, "mistakes are part of the journey. Inter backed him, we're only at five matches. Chivu will defend him to the death." On the tactical battle ahead, Stramaccioni identified the key contests: Roma will invert their attacking shape to control Piotr Zielinski and prevent Inter's fullbacks from building play, while watching the flanks closely, with an unusual duel between Wesley and Youssouf Diouf. For Inter, he highlighted how movements from the strikers in combination with Barella can disrupt Roma's man-to-man marking. Crucially, Stramaccioni noted that Gasperini's philosophy struggles against the 3–5–2 system—since January 2010, against coaches using this formation (Conte, Simone Inzaghi, and Chivu himself), Gasperini has lost ten times and drawn four. He assessed that "whoever wins will give the first blow to the rival, putting morale in the bank," calling it an early title statement. Both squads have strengthened, he said, but "Gasperini has closed the gap considerably." Stramaccioni expressed concern that Malen, now a "special focus" for opposition, will battle Lautaro for the scoring title, and that Dybala's assists will prove decisive for Roma's chances in the match.

Davide Massa of Imperia will referee Saturday's Serie A encounter between Roma and Inter at the Stadio Olimpico on 19 September at 18:00, the fifth round of fixtures. The supporting officials are Meli and Berti, with Maresca as fourth official. Mazzoleni will handle VAR duties and Di Paolo will be the assistant VAR. Roma's record with Massa is unfavourable: 34 matches yielding 10 victories, 12 draws and 12 defeats. His most recent appointment in charge of the Giallorossi came in the 2025–26 season, a 2–1 loss to Como at the Sinigaglia Stadium where Wesley was sent off for a second yellow card. Roma have failed to score in 10 matches under Massa's control. Their last win with him as referee dates to the 2022–23 season: Inter 1–2 Roma at San Siro, with goals from Dybala and Smalling. Inter enjoy a contrasting record. In 33 matches officiated by Massa, they have won 23, drawn 5 and lost 5. Their most recent fixture under him came in matchday 32 of the 2025–26 campaign, a 3–4 victory over Como at the Sinigaglia. Massa also directed matchday 7 of that same season, when Roma lost 0–1 to Inter.

Evan N'Dicka and Wesley have returned to full squad training at Trigoria as Roma prepare for their match against Inter at the Olimpico in three days. Both players are now available for selection after recovering from injury, giving head coach Gian Piero Gasperini a double boost ahead of the fixture. Mario Hermoso, however, has stepped back into differentiated training due to a minor ankle contusion. His condition will be monitored over the coming days, though no particular alarm has been raised. Gasperini will use the next training sessions to finalise his team selection and assess Hermoso's full recovery before the Inter match.

Gianluca Mancini has silenced his doubters with an impressive performance, capping a week in which the Roma defender faced scrutiny over errors in matches against Atalanta and Fenerbahce. A selfie with children outside Trigoria yesterday underscored his commitment to the giallorossi colours. After coming under fire from some quarters who called for Leonardo Balerdi to replace him, Mancini delivered a strong showing, even taking the captain's armband after Bryan Cristante's substitution. Inter, who made a significant move for him in the summer, now face him as an opponent — a test of the resolve Mancini showed when he chose Roma over a financially superior offer elsewhere. The 23-year-old has committed his future to the club, signing a contract extension through 2029. He is expected to start on Saturday in the heart of Roma's defence alongside Mario Hermoso and either Evan N'Dicka or Balerdi as the team prepares to confront Inter's attacking threat. Mancini could have decided to face Roma as an adversary this summer, but rejected that path. Instead, he is set to enjoy a Serie A campaign that has begun with high expectations and his first Champions League season as a key player.

Radio Roma commentators are backing Roma to upset Inter in their upcoming league fixture, with analyst Mario Mattioli declaring Roma in the better psychological state to spring a surprise. Mattioli said: "Never like this time can Roma pull off a trick on Inter: in my view at this moment I see them superior to the Nerazzurri in character and psychological predisposition, I see them very consistent. Inter has more ups and downs: they concede two goals but then overturn it. Never like this time can Roma win it. But if the match doesn't open up in regular time, I don't rule out that in the end it could finish in a draw." Roma have not beaten Inter since November 2018, but commentators believe the pressure-based system Gasperini has installed offers a route to victory. David Rossi highlighted that "Roma has understood what the manager wants, they all go in the same direction, there's no one who breaks ranks. Inter is a team that suffers under pressure… when pressed well, man-to-man, it can run into difficulty." Fabio Petruzzi praised the conviction shown against Turin, noting Roma "doesn't fear playing high, plays with the defence on the midfield line, doesn't fear conceding goals. It's a calculated risk. The mentality of going onto any pitch and not fearing one-v-one football across the entire field is the most beautiful thing." Nando Orsi cautioned that the fixture will be revealing, saying: "This match can give different judgements compared to what we've seen so far because neither of the two has faced important teams until now." Francesca Ferrazza anticipated tactical rotation, predicting: "Gasperini doesn't put out the usual formation, in my view on Saturday with a more advanced midfielder in Cristante or Pisilli, and putting Dybala and Malen up front." The defence remains a live selection question. Alessio Nardo noted that the Mancini–Balerdi–Hermoso trio is "perhaps one of the fiercest trios and most temperamental," while Lorenzo Pes assessed the Balerdi versus Ndícka choice as "50–50," noting Ndícka's familiarity with the defensive unit may give him the edge. Roberto Pruzzo, a Roma legend, expressed concern about Inter's strength in depth, observing they have two squads and reacted powerfully after conceding two goals in recent form.