Gasperini welcomes back Soulé, Castro and Balerdi ahead of Como; Friedkin put Everton up for sale

Roma held a training session at the Fulvio Bernardini centre on the afternoon of 8 October as preparation ramped up ahead of Sunday's Serie A fixture at Como, which kicks off at 12:30. The session, conducted in heavy rain but with a relaxed atmosphere mixing athletic work, running and tactical drills, saw the final reunion of the South American contingent with the rest of the squad. Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro, who returned to Italy on the morning of 8 October, completed the entire session and put themselves at the disposal of the coaching staff. CEO John Galantic attended the training to show the board's proximity during this phase of preparation. Former Roma legend Antonio Tempestilli, who celebrated his 67th birthday, reflected on the approaching match in an interview. He spent 12 seasons at Roma between 1981 and 1993, split evenly with Como. Tempestilli highlighted the risks of the long international break, saying: "A break that long can cause some problems with many players away on international duty: you have to see if there has been fatigue, hope everyone has returned fit. But that applies to everyone, starting with Como. Now you have to switch back on the mentality that Roma showed before the break. Gasperini is a guarantee in that sense." Gian Piero Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria tomorrow at 13:30. Elsewhere, Vincenzo Montella's tenure as Turkey's head coach has officially ended. The Turkish Football Federation announced today that its board formally removed him from his position following a series of four consecutive defeats in the recent UEFA Nations League cycle. Montella, an ex-Roma player and former manager of the club, had held the role since September 2023.

Kylian Mbappé will start for Real Madrid against Villarreal on Wednesday 14 October, just two weeks after suffering a left knee injury against Turkey. José Mourinho has opted against managing the forward's workload ahead of the visit to the Olimpico, instead electing to test his condition in match action immediately. Mbappé has been training with the group for days and the injury appears resolved. Mourinho is determined to get his attacker back to full sharpness without delay. The Villarreal fixture serves as a gauge of Mbappé's readiness before the Champions League encounter with Roma. Gian Piero Gasperini will now have to contend with the French forward at his best, having previously faced uncertainty over his availability. Federico Valverde has also recovered and will feature against Villarreal, providing another boost for Madrid's midfield. The message from Mourinho is clear: Mbappé is ready, and there will be no further caution. Gasperini is now studying how to stop him.

Roma's squad completed an afternoon training session at the Fulvio Bernardini centre on 8 October, stepping up their intensity ahead of the imminent resumption of the Serie A campaign. The session, conducted in heavy rain but with a relaxed atmosphere of athletic work, running and tactical small-sided games, saw the final reunion of the South American internationals with the rest of the group. Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro returned to Italy on the morning of 8 October and took part in the full session, putting themselves at the disposal of Gian Piero Gasperini's coaching staff. Roma's chief executive John Galantic was present on the touchline to witness the preparations. Bryan Cristante remains the only absentee, sidelined by a knee problem that will keep him out of the squad for the forthcoming trip to Como. Gasperini will deploy Marten de Roon to cover Cristante's absence in midfield, with the experienced Dutch midfielder starting alongside Manu Koné to provide defensive cover, midfield control and physical presence in Roma's play. The Como fixture marks the beginning of a demanding fixture list in October, with Gasperini using this session to refine final tactical details and prepare the group for the weeks ahead.

Roma held a training session at the Fulvio Bernardini centre on the afternoon of 8 October as preparation ramped up ahead of Sunday's Serie A fixture at Como, which kicks off at 12:30. The session, conducted in heavy rain but with a relaxed atmosphere mixing athletic work, running and tactical drills, saw the final reunion of the South American contingent with the rest of the squad. Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro, who returned to Italy on the morning of 8 October, completed the entire session and put themselves at the disposal of the coaching staff. CEO John Galantic attended the training to show the board's proximity during this phase of preparation. Former Roma legend Antonio Tempestilli, who celebrated his 67th birthday, reflected on the approaching match in an interview. He spent 12 seasons at Roma between 1981 and 1993, split evenly with Como. Tempestilli highlighted the risks of the long international break, saying: "A break that long can cause some problems with many players away on international duty: you have to see if there has been fatigue, hope everyone has returned fit. But that applies to everyone, starting with Como. Now you have to switch back on the mentality that Roma showed before the break. Gasperini is a guarantee in that sense." Gian Piero Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria tomorrow at 13:30. Elsewhere, Vincenzo Montella's tenure as Turkey's head coach has officially ended. The Turkish Football Federation announced today that its board formally removed him from his position following a series of four consecutive defeats in the recent UEFA Nations League cycle. Montella, an ex-Roma player and former manager of the club, had held the role since September 2023.

Roma's squad completed an afternoon training session at the Fulvio Bernardini centre on 8 October, stepping up their intensity ahead of the imminent resumption of the Serie A campaign. The session, conducted in heavy rain but with a relaxed atmosphere of athletic work, running and tactical small-sided games, saw the final reunion of the South American internationals with the rest of the group. Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro returned to Italy on the morning of 8 October and took part in the full session, putting themselves at the disposal of Gian Piero Gasperini's coaching staff. Roma's chief executive John Galantic was present on the touchline to witness the preparations. Bryan Cristante remains the only absentee, sidelined by a knee problem that will keep him out of the squad for the forthcoming trip to Como. Gasperini will deploy Marten de Roon to cover Cristante's absence in midfield, with the experienced Dutch midfielder starting alongside Manu Koné to provide defensive cover, midfield control and physical presence in Roma's play. The Como fixture marks the beginning of a demanding fixture list in October, with Gasperini using this session to refine final tactical details and prepare the group for the weeks ahead.

Antonio Tempestilli, the former Roma and Como player who spent twelve seasons equally divided between the two clubs from 1981 to 1993, has assessed the tactical battle ahead between the two sides as Roma prepare for their fixture at Como. Speaking on the eve of the match, Tempestilli weighed the strengths of both coaches: "Entrambi. Credo che si rispettino e si remano a vicenda: sono due che amano attaccare, giocare a viso aperto; fanno un gran calcio seppure con principi diversi; proprio per questo mi aspetto una gran partita" — both Fabregas and Gasperini respect each other and love to attack and play openly, making great football with different principles, which is why he expects a great match. On Roma's form, Tempestilli stressed the challenge of the international break: "Ti può dare qualche problemino con tanti giocatori fuori, in giro con le nazionali: bisogna vedere se c'è stato affaticamento, sperare che siano tornati tutti a posto…però vale per tutti, a cominciare dal Como. Ora bisogna riaccendere il tasto della mentalità che la Roma ha mostrato fino alla sosta. Gasperini in questo senso è una garanzia." The long pause poses risks with players scattered across nations, but the same applies to Como. Roma must reignite the mentality Gasperini has instilled before the break. On Leonardo Balerdi's emergence as a regular, Tempestilli noted: "Direi che come definizione ci può stare, viste le caratteristiche; quando Gasperini lo ha paragonato a Baresi chiaramente voleva intendere questo. È migliorabile sotto alcuni aspetti e con il lavoro a Trigoria lo sta già facendo, ma la tempra e il piglio battagliero mi piacciono molto." He described Balerdi as having an 1980s-style defender's character, and said having multiple centre-back options is a fortune for Gasperini given the high number of matches ahead. Regarding Gianluca Mancini's slow start, Tempestilli insisted the midfielder possesses the right mentality and experience to rediscover his leadership. On Lorenzo Pellegrini's potential involvement, Tempestilli said: "Gasperini sa valutare ogni particolare, a cominciare da condizione e motivazioni. Una cosa è certa: Pellegrini è un valore aggiunto, resta da porsi una domanda: che minutaggio ha nelle gambe?" Pellegrini is valuable added value, but his match fitness remains to be established. Looking ahead, Tempestilli cautioned against reading too much into any single result: "Troppo presto. Piedi per terra, perché il campionato è lungo. Al tempo stesso, una cosa possiamo permetterci di dirla: sognare è lecito." It is too early to identify an Inter challenger, he said, but dreaming is allowed.

Roma held a training session at the Fulvio Bernardini centre on the afternoon of 8 October as preparation ramped up ahead of Sunday's Serie A fixture at Como, which kicks off at 12:30. The session, conducted in heavy rain but with a relaxed atmosphere mixing athletic work, running and tactical drills, saw the final reunion of the South American contingent with the rest of the squad. Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro, who returned to Italy on the morning of 8 October, completed the entire session and put themselves at the disposal of the coaching staff. CEO John Galantic attended the training to show the board's proximity during this phase of preparation. Former Roma legend Antonio Tempestilli, who celebrated his 67th birthday, reflected on the approaching match in an interview. He spent 12 seasons at Roma between 1981 and 1993, split evenly with Como. Tempestilli highlighted the risks of the long international break, saying: "A break that long can cause some problems with many players away on international duty: you have to see if there has been fatigue, hope everyone has returned fit. But that applies to everyone, starting with Como. Now you have to switch back on the mentality that Roma showed before the break. Gasperini is a guarantee in that sense." Gian Piero Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria tomorrow at 13:30. Elsewhere, Vincenzo Montella's tenure as Turkey's head coach has officially ended. The Turkish Football Federation announced today that its board formally removed him from his position following a series of four consecutive defeats in the recent UEFA Nations League cycle. Montella, an ex-Roma player and former manager of the club, had held the role since September 2023.

Roma's squad completed an afternoon training session at the Fulvio Bernardini centre on 8 October, stepping up their intensity ahead of the imminent resumption of the Serie A campaign. The session, conducted in heavy rain but with a relaxed atmosphere of athletic work, running and tactical small-sided games, saw the final reunion of the South American internationals with the rest of the group. Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro returned to Italy on the morning of 8 October and took part in the full session, putting themselves at the disposal of Gian Piero Gasperini's coaching staff. Roma's chief executive John Galantic was present on the touchline to witness the preparations. Bryan Cristante remains the only absentee, sidelined by a knee problem that will keep him out of the squad for the forthcoming trip to Como. Gasperini will deploy Marten de Roon to cover Cristante's absence in midfield, with the experienced Dutch midfielder starting alongside Manu Koné to provide defensive cover, midfield control and physical presence in Roma's play. The Como fixture marks the beginning of a demanding fixture list in October, with Gasperini using this session to refine final tactical details and prepare the group for the weeks ahead.

Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi have returned to full training with Roma ahead of Sunday's Serie A fixture against Como, scheduled for 12:30 at the Sinigaglia stadium on 11 October. The three Argentine internationals had completed only a recovery session the previous day after their national team commitments but trained normally with the squad on 9 October. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini now has nearly his entire roster available, with Bryan Cristante remaining the sole absentee and set to miss the Como match. Cristante's absence creates an opening in midfield, where Marten de Roon is increasingly favoured to start alongside Manu Koné. Two selection decisions remain unresolved. On the attacking midfield line, competition continues among Rodrigo Mora, Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini, with Mora currently holding a slight edge. At the back, Evan N'Dicka appears to have the advantage over Balerdi, partly because the Ivorian has been able to train consistently at Trigoria during the international break. Roma CEO John Galanic was present at the training session on 9 October. Gasperini will conduct the final preparation session on 10 October before making his final team selection ahead of the journey to Como. The club is now nearly at full strength following the extended international window.