Green light cleared for Roma's new stadium: construction timeline confirmed

Roma defender Emanuele Lulli has been one of the most pleasant surprises of the season, and Italy Under-21 coach Silvio Baldini has admitted he did not expect such a quick rise. Lulli earned his call-up to the Under-21 side after producing convincing performances when Gian Piero Gasperini called on him at Roma. On the eve of Italy's match against France, scheduled for tomorrow at 18:30, Baldini spoke specifically about the Roma full-back and his development. Baldini said: "I did not expect Lulli to explode so quickly, but he is a boy we have always monitored closely." The Italy coach also spoke about the spirit within the Under-21 group. Baldini said: "Here we are a family. When I see these boys I feel particular emotions. They are special because they can tell the professionalism required on the pitch from the fun off it. There are rules, but the most important is the one about cheerfulness: I want to see them smile, joke and get on well together. For me they are a divine gift."

Roma's allocation of 1,500 tickets for the away sector at Paris Saint-Germain sold out within three hours of the sale opening. Several fans were left in the queue without managing to secure a ticket. The Parc des Princes away sector can hold more than 2,300 supporters, but the capacity has been reduced at the request of the French police for public order reasons. Security is on maximum alert for the trip because of the friendship between PSG's ultras and those of Napoli. Roma face Luis Enrique's side on 25 November at 21:00.

Roma midfielder Marten de Roon has criticised the Netherlands, saying the Dutch national side lacks the fierce conviction Argentine players show to push beyond their limits, and he drew the comparison with his own club. Speaking to Ziggo Sport, the Dutch international, who has been called up again by his national team, said the Oranje have quality but are missing that edge. De Roon has quickly become an important figure in the Roma squad, praised for his leadership, his hundreds of recovered balls and a well-established working relationship with Gasperini. He has watched two of the Netherlands' four matches under new head coach Xavi and said the side had performed well, pointing to a positive display against Germany and an excellent second half in the away fixture against Greece. "I saw two of the four matches and we did well. Against Germany the performance was positive and the second half away to Greece was excellent. I glimpsed Xavi's imprint, we have to be positive. The quality is there. What we lack is that fierce conviction the Argentines have to go beyond the limit. I see it here at Roma too: we have several Argentines in the squad, like Molina, Dybala, Castro. Off the pitch they are sociable, but when they play they transform themselves to win. If we developed a bit more cohesion combined with the talent we have, sooner or later we will win."