Gollini returns to Old Trafford as Roma's starting keeper

Roma are reportedly showing renewed interest in Galatasaray midfielder Gabriel Sara, according to the German outlet fussball-news.de, as head coach Gian Piero Gasperini looks to strengthen the midfield when the January window opens. The report says Gasperini expects to add a midfielder, particularly after the serious injury suffered by Lorenzo Pellegrini. The Brazilian, born in 1999, plays for Galatasaray and has attracted the attention of several clubs. Roma had already sought him a couple of years ago. Napoli are also interested in Italy, while in the Premier League Newcastle and Everton have already expressed interest and are ready to offer around 30 million euros to secure his services. The report places the midfielder among the names under consideration as Roma look to reinforce the department, with the focus falling on a player who could fill the gap left by Pellegrini's absence.

Roma are reportedly monitoring midfielder Gabriel Sara, who was tracked for several weeks in summer 2024 and could be back on the club's radar. The Turkish-based player is finding limited game time and is reportedly keen to make the step up to Serie A. The interest is part of a wider search to add options for Gian Piero Gasperini, particularly after recent physical problems for Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné. Reports from Germany say Roma face strong competition. Napoli have also reportedly shown interest, while Newcastle and Everton from the Premier League are said to be ready to offer around €30 million. For now, the interest is at the market-sounding stage, with no advanced negotiations between clubs.

Daniele Ghilardi has established himself as a key figure in the Roma defence, more than a year after a difficult afternoon in August 2025 that changed his approach. The Italian outlet's feature traces his rise from that moment, when he was a new arrival from Verona and was in the squad for the friendly against Neom in Rome. A mistake and a lapse of concentration brought an furious reaction from Gian Piero Gasperini, with shouts, dressing-downs and harsh words aimed at the centre-back. That moment, the article says, sparked his determination to prove he was a player worthy of Roma and to earn his place in the team. Ghilardi, now 21, has since worked quietly and patiently, earning his place step by step rather than taking shortcuts. The article describes him as a defender who defends, attacks, tackles and leaves no space for the striker, having removed his weaknesses one by one. Gasperini does not like to talk about reserves and considers every player a starter, and after Ghilardi's goal at Udine he is one in reality. He has also surprised in an unexpected role at the Bluenergy Stadium. Gasperini had known what he could offer for a year but preferred to give him the time needed to grow into a more complete player. Gasperini said nothing in the article, but the piece is clear that Ghilardi's versatility gives Roma another option across several roles. Displacing Gianluca Mancini will not be simple, the article notes, but his adaptability opens new possibilities and gives Gasperini an extra card to play. Ghilardi will start on the bench in Manchester. The article concludes that the great stages are no longer so distant, and that he has already shown he is ready to claim them, and this time he will not wait for someone to make room for him, but will take his place himself.

Roma travel to Old Trafford for tomorrow evening's Champions League clash against Manchester United, a fixture that could shape their route towards the play-offs. Il Messaggero reports that Roma have struggled at this ground, losing all four previous visits, some by heavy margins. This time, though, the picture is different: Manchester United are third from bottom in the Premier League and going through a difficult spell, and English fans on social media fear another heavy defeat. Gian Piero Gasperini is not underestimating the opponent, however, and has to deal with several injuries. Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné and Mile Svilar will all miss the match. Dybala and Koné will try to recover for the Sassuolo fixture, while Svilar will not return until after the international break. Gollini is expected to continue in goal, having previously worn the Manchester United shirt. In defence, Evan N'Dicka, the returning Gianluca Mancini and one of Leonardo Balerdi or Mario Hermoso are set to start. Cristante and De Roon will form the midfield pairing. Wesley, closely watched by English scouts, is set to operate on the left, while the right-hand position remains an open contest. Without Dybala, Malen leads the attack: he has three goals and two assists in three European matches, and is eager to perform at a stadium where he previously played a few minutes for Aston Villa. Soulé will partner him, while the final place in the front three is between Mora, who is improving, and Pisilli, who wants to win back his place after resting in Udine. Roma finished their previous match in Udine strongly, and the squad now travels to England to prepare for the Champions League tie against Manchester United. The Old Trafford game is the first of the two visits, and the result is expected to weigh heavily on Roma's chances of reaching the play-offs.

Roma travel to Old Trafford on Tuesday for their fourth league-phase Champions League match against Manchester United, kicking off at 21:00 on Tuesday 3 November. Gian Piero Gasperini's side arrive after a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava and have four points from their first three European games. Manchester United, managed by Michael Carrick, sit on three points after a home opening win over Sabah followed by defeats to Atletico Madrid and Como, the last of them a 4-1 loss at Como. Gasperini is expected to keep most of the side that has been settled in recent weeks. Gollini starts in goal, with Svilar not due back until after the international break. Mancini, who was rested at Udinese, is expected to return to the starting line-up alongside Ndicka and Hermoso. Molina and Wesley look ahead of Lulli and Rensch on the flanks. In midfield, Cristante and de Roon offer experience, physicality and balance in a game that will demand attention above all in transitions. The main doubt concerns the position behind the striker, where Mora, who scored against both Cagliari and Udinese, is competing with Pisilli. Soulé and Malen are confirmed; both were managed in the second half of the big win in Friuli with the European fixture in mind. Roma come into the match on a strong run. They beat Udinese 5-2 at the Bluenergy Stadium in the last Serie A round, with goals from Cristante, Mora, Malen and Ndicka, and Ghilardi scored his first league goal of the season in added time. That win lifted Roma to third place with 24 points. Before the trip to Udine they had won 4-2 against Cagliari, drawn 3-3 at Napoli and beaten Slovan Bratislava 4-0. In the Champions League they have collected four points from draws with Fenerbahce and a defeat to Real Madrid, plus the win over the Slovaks. Manchester United are in a much harder spell. On Saturday they lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea, extending their run of matches without a win to nine. Their European campaign has also stalled. Mancini and Hermoso are the only Roma defenders named in the probable line-up, while United's probable side is built around Bruno Fernandes, with Lammens in goal, Dalot, Maguire, De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez in defence, and Baleba, Andrey Santos, Diallo and Cunha around him. Mbeumo leads the line. Carrick's side are without Ugarte, Šeško, Shaw and Dorgu, while Yoro is suspended. Rashford, Mazraoui and Amad Diallo are doubtful. Lisandro Martinez, sent off against Chelsea in the Premier League, can play in the Champions League because his suspension applies only to domestic competitions. Roma have no fit answer yet for four players. Svilar continues his recovery from a stress fracture to the fifth toe of his left foot, and his return has been put back until after the international break. Dybala will not be risked at Old Trafford after a small calf tear. Koné remains sidelined, and Pellegrini faces a longer absence because of the muscle injury he picked up against Slovan Bratislava. Gasperini can, however, count on Cristante, who is back available on a regular basis and again central to the midfield rotation. The probable Roma line-up is a 3-4-2-1, with a contest between Mancini and Balerdi and a call on Mora against Pisilli. Six official meetings have taken place between Manchester United and Roma in UEFA competitions. United have won four, Roma one, with one draw. Old Trafford brings back two painful nights for Roma: in April 2007 United won 7-1 in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final, and in 2021 they won 6-2 in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final. In the other meeting at Manchester, in the 2007-08 Champions League, the hosts won 1-0. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport channels and streamed via Sky Go and NOW. Kick-off is at 21:00 on Tuesday 3 November at Old Trafford. Official line-ups are due about an hour before kick-off and will be updated live.

Roma have gone five matches without Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala and have collected 13 points in that stretch, a record that shows the squad's depth under Gasperini. Bryan Cristante was also briefly absent, and the club have coped with the losses of several key players. The article notes that Pisilli, de Roon, Rodrigo Mora, Pellegrini and Castro started on the bench at times against the most reliable opponents, which it describes as a fact that applies to every team in the world. Gasperini has insisted that "they are all starters". Even with several important names unavailable, Roma have kept their level high. Koné and Dybala are described as perhaps the two best players in the squad alongside Svilar and Malen. Last season, the French and Argentine midfielder and forward were both missing together in 9 matches across Serie A and the Europa League, and Roma collected 13 points from 3 wins, 4 draws and 2 defeats. As of Sunday 1 November, the five matches without the pair have yielded 13 points against Genoa, Napoli, Cagliari, Udinese and Slovan Bratislava. That is an average of 2.6 points per game, compared with 1.44 in the earlier spell. Cristante was also out in two of those five games. Svilar has missed seven matches, and his injury marks the last time Roma fielded their full first-choice side, on 19 September, a 2-2 draw with Inter. The article credits the squad's improved maturity and quality, partly due to the summer work of D'Amico. It describes Pisilli as having a year more experience, de Roon as a professor with a titanium physique, and Soulé as back at top level. Rodrigo Mora is raising his standard, Gollini has regained confidence in his role after a long spell without playing, Lulli is a "terrible" young talent, and Balerdi often looks like a gladiator. The overall level of the team has risen considerably. After the international break, Gasperini is expected to have all his players available for the trip to Parma.

Gian Piero Gasperini has reworked Roma's schedule around their Champions League clash at Manchester, with the club's return journey from the away game changed as well. Roma are playing their eighth match in 24 days and have had to do much of that without Manu Koné, Paulo Dybala, Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante, leaving the squad stretched. A win in Manchester would all but seal a play-off place, but Roma must also break their Old Trafford hoodoo and cope with fatigue. After Tuesday's match against Cagliari, Gasperini gave the players a day off, with training resuming on Thursday. The squad leave for Udine on Friday, play on Saturday, and then stay in Friuli rather than returning to Rome. Roma have been in Manchester since yesterday, and the return plan differs from previous away trips. There will be no overnight journey after the match; instead, the team depart at 10.45 the following morning. The squad are due back at Trigoria on Wednesday afternoon, and from Thursday the focus shifts to Sassuolo. The lighter schedule is meant to help the players recover quickly before Saturday evening's fixture against the Neroverdi at the Stadio Olimpico. The move is designed to reduce physical and mental strain on a squad short of options, with Gasperini studying a plan to manage the team's energy levels across the run of games.

Roma thrashed Udinese 5-0 and continued their remarkable scoring run, with 28 goals in the first ten rounds of the season, an average of 2.8 per match. The Corriere della Sera reports that it is the club's best return in a single-group league format, a record matched only in 1928-29, and Roma now boast the best attack in the division. The side have kept their attacking identity despite a long injury list. Svilar, Koné, Pellegrini and Dybala have all been sidelined, while Cristante has just returned from injury. Roma have not altered the way they play, and the team keeps pressing for goals even when the tempo drops. The goals have been spread across the squad rather than resting on one man. Malen is among the scorers, but the output is not down to him alone: 11 different players have scored in Serie A, rising to 14 once Champions League goals are included. Gasperini has highlighted that many of the goals come after well-constructed, attractive moves. The report places this side in a long Roman tradition of attacking football, from Liedholm's web-like passing and Eriksson's vertical play with Pruzzo, through Spalletti's team with Totti and Dzeko, to Zeman's offensive sides. The article argues that Gasperini's Roma now belongs in that gallery of teams that have made Roma fans dream.

Roma travel to Old Trafford for tomorrow evening's Champions League clash against Manchester United, a fixture that could shape their route towards the play-offs. Il Messaggero reports that Roma have struggled at this ground, losing all four previous visits, some by heavy margins. This time, though, the picture is different: Manchester United are third from bottom in the Premier League and going through a difficult spell, and English fans on social media fear another heavy defeat. Gian Piero Gasperini is not underestimating the opponent, however, and has to deal with several injuries. Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné and Mile Svilar will all miss the match. Dybala and Koné will try to recover for the Sassuolo fixture, while Svilar will not return until after the international break. Gollini is expected to continue in goal, having previously worn the Manchester United shirt. In defence, Evan N'Dicka, the returning Gianluca Mancini and one of Leonardo Balerdi or Mario Hermoso are set to start. Cristante and De Roon will form the midfield pairing. Wesley, closely watched by English scouts, is set to operate on the left, while the right-hand position remains an open contest. Without Dybala, Malen leads the attack: he has three goals and two assists in three European matches, and is eager to perform at a stadium where he previously played a few minutes for Aston Villa. Soulé will partner him, while the final place in the front three is between Mora, who is improving, and Pisilli, who wants to win back his place after resting in Udine. Roma finished their previous match in Udine strongly, and the squad now travels to England to prepare for the Champions League tie against Manchester United. The Old Trafford game is the first of the two visits, and the result is expected to weigh heavily on Roma's chances of reaching the play-offs.