Gasperini to address media ahead of Torino trip

Emanuele Lulli will be available for Gian Piero Gasperini in Roma's match against Torino on 14 September after recovering from an intestinal virus he suffered in recent days. The 19-year-old, who plays as a defender, is expected to start in the Serie A fixture at Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, the club's fourth league match of the season. Lulli had contracted the virus without fever, according to Sky Sport journalist Angelo Mangiante. The Palestrina-born player had featured in Roma's opening three Serie A games before being named on the bench for the Champions League debut at home against Fenerbahce. He will train normally today, though the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini remains under observation.

Paulo Dybala will face Torino on Sunday in a fixture where he has been particularly prolific for Roma. The Argentine has scored 11 goals and provided 4 assists in 25 matches against the Piedmontese side, with Roma winning 15 of those encounters. Dybala's record against Torino matches his tally against Genoa (over 20 appearances) and Lazio (26 matches, one more assist), though he has been even more devastating against Udinese, with 14 goals and 9 assists in 23 games. However, Gian Piero Gasperini may opt to rest Dybala, potentially keeping him on the bench for the trip to the Stadio Olimpico–Grande Torino. The Roma coach could hand starts to Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora as the attacking supports behind Donyell Malen, giving the Joya a break after four consecutive matches played almost entirely. Dybala featured the full 90 minutes against both Atalanta and Fenerbahçe, and was substituted in the 79th minute against Fiorentina and the 84th minute at Lecce.

After three league matches and nine points, Roma face their first genuine fixture congestion on the back of Champions League action midweek. Gian Piero Gasperini must now navigate his first serious turnover decision, with Manu Koné sidelined by a knee problem, Paulo Dybala cramping through the closing stages, and Gianluca Mancini appearing fatigued before his substitution. The manager faces a delicate balance: rotation has become unavoidable, but wholesale change could disrupt the coordinated pressing, tight spacing, immediate aggression after possession loss, and attacking patterns that have been central to Roma's bright start. Gasperini has built Roma's perfect opening around a squad that has rapidly learned to recognise itself. Making too many changes at once risks undermining those automatisms. Yet selective intervention is inevitable. Without Koné, Niccolò Pisilli appears the natural solution alongside Bryan Cristante; deploying Marten de Roon, though he has the deepest familiarity with Gasperini, would require him to build understanding with new teammates. In attack, resting Dybala makes sense, with Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora able to provide freshness behind Donyell Malen without overturning the offensive identity. Mancini also warrants consideration—he appeared below his usual standard in Istanbul, while Leonardo Balerdi brought aggression and intensity after entering the pitch. The real test lies in the principle Gasperini must master: having no untouchable starting eleven, yet changing three or four players without the football itself changing. Roma arrive at Torino with a perfect record and, more valuably than nine points, a recognisable shape. Three or four changes can regenerate; seven or eight risk creating a different team entirely. The paradox would be protecting energy by sacrificing the very continuity that has made the season's start so strong. For the first time, Gasperini must genuinely manage the squad rather than simply select the strongest team. That quality—doing turnover so well it barely shows—will define whether Roma can sustain their level across multiple competitions.