Gasperini's new tactical formula: playmaker and twin strikers

Paulo Dybala will make his first Champions League appearance in five years when Roma travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce, serving as the focal point of Gian Piero Gasperini's attack in the club's return to Europe's elite competition. The Argentine forward, who has played in seven Champions League campaigns during his career, carries the most extensive international experience in Roma's squad and will face former teammates Romelu Lukaku—his partner in attack two seasons ago in the capital—and Mason Greenwood, a target of Roma's interest during the summer transfer window. Dybala started Roma's recent Serie A victory against Atalanta despite a minor physical complaint, demonstrating full commitment over the course of the match. Gasperini intends to rely on his offensive leader whenever physical conditions allow, and with nearly five days of rest since the Atalanta win, Dybala is set to start in Roma's continental debut. The fixture carries significant weight for the Argentine, who will look to guide Roma deep into the tournament after the club's five-year absence from the Champions League.

Roma have filed an appeal against access restrictions imposed on their supporters for Monday's Serie A match at Torino, scheduled for 18:30. The club hopes to overturn or modify the measures before the fixture, after authorities implemented tight controls on ticket sales that would prevent a significant portion of Roma's travelling support from attending the match at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. The restrictions bar all residents in the Lazio region from purchasing tickets in any stadium sector. In the away section, only Roma Fidelity Card holders are permitted to buy, but with an additional limitation: residents from the province of Rome are excluded entirely. Under the current terms, supporters from Rome province have no way to attend the match regardless of which sector they attempt to access. Roma's appeal contests these limitations, which disproportionately affect the club's fanbase and could substantially reduce their presence in Turin. The club now awaits the appeal's outcome. The decision will determine whether the restrictions remain unchanged or whether modifications are made in time to allow currently excluded supporters to purchase tickets. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side travel to face Torino amid what has become a significant administrative battle over fan access.

Roma defeated Atalanta 2–1 on matchday three of Serie A, with goals from Matías Soulé and Mario Hermoso securing the win in the closing stages. Following the fixture, the Lega Serie A announced disciplinary decisions from the Match Commissioner. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has received his first sanction. Roma were also fined €2,000 by the Match Commissioner "for objective responsibility, having unjustifiably caused a delay of approximately one minute to the start of the first half."

Rodrigo Mora is among the young players set to make their Champions League debuts on matchday one this season. The Roma midfielder has been highlighted by the New York Times in a list of ten young players to watch in this year's competition, earning a striking comparison to Lionel Messi. The New York Times article described Mora as "a small playmaker of 168 cm who shines with his long hair, and comparisons with a young Lionel Messi are inevitable." While acknowledging that "Mora does not possess Messi's supernatural ability, the stylistic similarities are there." Like the Argentine, Mora operates freely between the lines, seeking the ball from teammates before driving toward goal, and his dribbling style is characterised by feints and changes of direction. The piece noted his typical pattern: "Mora collects the ball on the left flank and runs toward the defender to mark and beat him, as he did against Fiorentina."

Matías Soulé remained at Roma despite being available throughout the summer transfer window after negotiations between the Giallorossi and Juventus over a potential swap deal broke down. Juventus wanted to send Teun Koopmeiners to Roma in exchange for the Argentine winger, with the two clubs working on the proposal until the final days of the market but unable to agree on formulas and figures. Soulé featured off the bench in Roma's recent clash against Atalanta and has since been alternating with Rodrigo Mora. Fiorentina and Milan also approached the winger during the window, but Roma consistently preferred to sell him to the Premier League to maximise profit. His price tag never fell below €35 million, which complicated negotiations with other Serie A clubs. However, Soulé never personally requested to leave Roma according to Corriere dello Sport. The proposed deal would not have significantly improved either club as currently structured; it would only have made sense had Roma found a right-footed speedster to complement Paulo Dybala and Juventus sold Nicolas Gonzalez. Gian Piero Gasperini would have been pleased to reunite with Koopmeiners given his versatility, though reclaiming him would have proved challenging and expensive. Roma ultimately had limited need for midfield reinforcement since Manu Koné remained at the club. Juventus instead signed Nick Woltemade late in the window as their attacking addition.

Radio pundits across Rome's airwaves offered their verdicts on Gasperini's Roma ahead of the new season. The debate centred on Francesco Totti's absence from the club's plans, with Ugo Trani claiming the former captain was let down by both the national team and Roma itself. Trani defended Totti's character and noted that Gasperini alone had given his approval to a return: "Gasperini was also the only one to go to dinner with him and, as he has stressed, is a free man: he does what he wants, without anyone being able to tell him what to do." Francesco Balzani observed that Totti appeared hurt by how things unfolded at Roma, having waited for a call that never came. Looking ahead to the squad's composition, Balzani predicted Paulo Dybala and Manu Koné would start in Turkey, with Rodrigo Mora also featuring behind Dybala and Donyell Malen. Roberto Pruzzo praised the bond between squad and coach: "The team and manager have formed a working group that functions very well, this is a positive signal. This year Gasperini also has quality substitutes; now we'll see what happens with congested fixture schedules." Nando Orsi took the boldest stance on Roma's ambitions this season: "Gasperini knows how to manage multiple competitions. Roma will fight for the Scudetto; it is a squad that can take advantage of stumbles by Inter and Napoli. The Champions League is a fine reality, but the objective must be to win the league."

Paulo Dybala will make his first Champions League appearance in five years when Roma travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce, serving as the focal point of Gian Piero Gasperini's attack in the club's return to Europe's elite competition. The Argentine forward, who has played in seven Champions League campaigns during his career, carries the most extensive international experience in Roma's squad and will face former teammates Romelu Lukaku—his partner in attack two seasons ago in the capital—and Mason Greenwood, a target of Roma's interest during the summer transfer window. Dybala started Roma's recent Serie A victory against Atalanta despite a minor physical complaint, demonstrating full commitment over the course of the match. Gasperini intends to rely on his offensive leader whenever physical conditions allow, and with nearly five days of rest since the Atalanta win, Dybala is set to start in Roma's continental debut. The fixture carries significant weight for the Argentine, who will look to guide Roma deep into the tournament after the club's five-year absence from the Champions League.

Gian Piero Gasperini will oversee his 35th Champions League match as a manager when Roma travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce. The coach has opted against rotation and will deploy his strongest available squad on the pitch of the Turkish club. The starting eleven will feature Paulo Dybala, Donyell Malen, Manu Koné and Gianluca Mancini from the first minute. The only change from the previous Serie A fixture against Atalanta concerns the right flank, where Nahuel Molina is set to replace Emanuele Lulli and bring his 37 appearances accumulated across the competition to bear. Gasperini has guided Roma back to Europe's elite competition after the club finished third in Serie A last season. The manager carries a continental record of 12 victories, 9 draws and 13 defeats across his Champions League career. Roma's squad will fly to Turkey on 9 September for a pre-match training session ahead of Gasperini's scheduled press conference at 17:00 Italian time. On the club front, Roma's sporting director Tony D'Amico was questioned by the FIGC Federal Prosecutor on 8 September to clarify an incident that occurred after the recent Serie A match against Atalanta. D'Amico provided his account of sustained insults he received from Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi near the Tribuna 1907 and in the stadium car park at the Olimpico. His testimony aligned with statements given by stewards on duty in that section.

Matías Soulé remained at Roma despite being available throughout the summer transfer window after negotiations between the Giallorossi and Juventus over a potential swap deal broke down. Juventus wanted to send Teun Koopmeiners to Roma in exchange for the Argentine winger, with the two clubs working on the proposal until the final days of the market but unable to agree on formulas and figures. Soulé featured off the bench in Roma's recent clash against Atalanta and has since been alternating with Rodrigo Mora. Fiorentina and Milan also approached the winger during the window, but Roma consistently preferred to sell him to the Premier League to maximise profit. His price tag never fell below €35 million, which complicated negotiations with other Serie A clubs. However, Soulé never personally requested to leave Roma according to Corriere dello Sport. The proposed deal would not have significantly improved either club as currently structured; it would only have made sense had Roma found a right-footed speedster to complement Paulo Dybala and Juventus sold Nicolas Gonzalez. Gian Piero Gasperini would have been pleased to reunite with Koopmeiners given his versatility, though reclaiming him would have proved challenging and expensive. Roma ultimately had limited need for midfield reinforcement since Manu Koné remained at the club. Juventus instead signed Nick Woltemade late in the window as their attacking addition.

Gian Piero Gasperini will oversee his 35th Champions League match as a manager when Roma travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce. The coach has opted against rotation and will deploy his strongest available squad on the pitch of the Turkish club. The starting eleven will feature Paulo Dybala, Donyell Malen, Manu Koné and Gianluca Mancini from the first minute. The only change from the previous Serie A fixture against Atalanta concerns the right flank, where Nahuel Molina is set to replace Emanuele Lulli and bring his 37 appearances accumulated across the competition to bear. Gasperini has guided Roma back to Europe's elite competition after the club finished third in Serie A last season. The manager carries a continental record of 12 victories, 9 draws and 13 defeats across his Champions League career. Roma's squad will fly to Turkey on 9 September for a pre-match training session ahead of Gasperini's scheduled press conference at 17:00 Italian time. On the club front, Roma's sporting director Tony D'Amico was questioned by the FIGC Federal Prosecutor on 8 September to clarify an incident that occurred after the recent Serie A match against Atalanta. D'Amico provided his account of sustained insults he received from Atalanta CEO Luca Percassi near the Tribuna 1907 and in the stadium car park at the Olimpico. His testimony aligned with statements given by stewards on duty in that section.

Roma's supporters delivered a vital performance in the final half-hour against Atalanta, providing what the article describes as a 'cardiac massage to the hope' of a team that deserved better. Gian Piero Gasperini's side produced an assured display under constant, relentless pressure, with Manu Koné orchestrating the midfield and Bryan Cristante directing operations. The team's quality merited victory even before the goals arrived. Matías Soulé scored a deserved goal that crowned a summer of redemption for a player who had battled through earlier difficulties. Gasperini's endorsement of the winger's progress underlined his return to form. Santiago Castro made an immediate impact, showing hunger and clarity in his play, though finishing proved elusive. Artem Dovbyk scored Bologna's goal, salvaging their display after a complex sequence of play. Donyell Malen's performance was erratic; the article suggests he had uneven moments throughout the match. The week's verdicts also included criticism of Luca Percassi's conduct as 'undignified and deplorable, regardless of context', and sharp judgement of the decision to sack Grosso, with the editorial noting that ending a manager's tenure and forcing another coach to restart from zero serves only to worsen matters. Juventus's match against Milan drew unflattering comparison to a sleeping aid, relieved only briefly by Cissè and Gatti.

Radio pundits across Rome's airwaves offered their verdicts on Gasperini's Roma ahead of the new season. The debate centred on Francesco Totti's absence from the club's plans, with Ugo Trani claiming the former captain was let down by both the national team and Roma itself. Trani defended Totti's character and noted that Gasperini alone had given his approval to a return: "Gasperini was also the only one to go to dinner with him and, as he has stressed, is a free man: he does what he wants, without anyone being able to tell him what to do." Francesco Balzani observed that Totti appeared hurt by how things unfolded at Roma, having waited for a call that never came. Looking ahead to the squad's composition, Balzani predicted Paulo Dybala and Manu Koné would start in Turkey, with Rodrigo Mora also featuring behind Dybala and Donyell Malen. Roberto Pruzzo praised the bond between squad and coach: "The team and manager have formed a working group that functions very well, this is a positive signal. This year Gasperini also has quality substitutes; now we'll see what happens with congested fixture schedules." Nando Orsi took the boldest stance on Roma's ambitions this season: "Gasperini knows how to manage multiple competitions. Roma will fight for the Scudetto; it is a squad that can take advantage of stumbles by Inter and Napoli. The Champions League is a fine reality, but the objective must be to win the league."