Gasperini says Roma's rotation answers are important as injury worries mount

Roma defender Daniele Ghilardi said his Champions League debut was a huge emotional moment and that the squad also wants to win against Napoli. Ghilardi said: "Tanta emozione per l'esordio in Champions. Vogliamo vincere anche col Napoli", which translates as: "A lot of emotion for the Champions League debut. We want to win against Napoli too." The comments follow Roma's 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava, which the Italian coverage rated in player ratings that picked out Ghilardi and Hermoso, with Malen also singled out. Roma's Champions League campaign has begun with that result, and the club now turns its attention to Napoli. Elsewhere in the club's news, Gian Piero Gasperini said of team selection: "Chi gioca deve essere all'altezza della Roma. Spero di riavere presto Dybala, davanti siamo pochi", meaning those who play must be up to the standard of Roma, and he hopes to have Dybala back soon as the attack is thin. Lorenzo Pellegrini has a muscle injury, and Gasperini said: "Nulla di grave, ma rischia di stare out 20 giorni", meaning it is nothing serious but he could be out for 20 days. Niccolò Pisilli said wearing the Roma captain's armband is an honour and that he has grown a lot under Gasperini.

Roma secured their first win of the Champions League league phase, beating Slovan Bratislava 4-0 with a dominant display under Gian Piero Gasperini. The result follows a draw with Fenerbahce and a late defeat to Real Madrid. Hermoso opened the scoring with a header, and Molina doubled the lead just before half-time. After the break, Pisilli added a goal and Malen converted a penalty to seal the win. Roma never looked at risk of conceding in the match. Ghilardi also scored late on, but the goal was disallowed for offside. The victory lifts Gasperini's side to 4 points in the league phase standings. Roma's next big match is against Napoli at the weekend. Molina's goal was his first in a Roma shirt. Wesley was described as unplayable in the player ratings, which award Hermoso a 7, Molina a 6.5 and Wesley a 7.5.

Mario Hermoso spoke to reporters after Roma beat Slovan Bratislava at the Stadio Olimpico in their third League Phase match of the Champions League, delighted with the team's performance and the depth of the squad. The Spaniard highlighted the importance of keeping a clean sheet, a result Roma badly needed after their defeat to Real Madrid. Roma have now won two matches in a row with six goals scored and none conceded. Hermoso noted that his side's defence has been the least breached of the top five European leagues, a fact he said matters to the whole team, not only the defenders. He stressed that Roma are a tough side who want to play fast and do things the way the coach wants, adding that the team has plenty of talent in attack and the defenders must get them the ball to score. Asked about the heavy rotation in the match, Hermoso said: "We have a strong team and a complete squad, with quality players in every department. We have to work, and we all do it every day to be at our best. This says a lot about us and about the work the coach is doing, and the sporting director too. It's nice to see Roma like this."