Italy vs Luxembourg: Free-to-air coverage, kickoff time and likely lineups

Roma continue their recruitment efforts ahead of the Serie A season, which kicks off in less than a week. The club remains in the market for a left-sided winger and at least two strikers. Mora, the Porto target, remains under negotiation with no significant developments in recent hours, though the pursuit remains active. Luis Henrique has also attracted Roma's interest, with a valuation of €30 million, and seemed close to completion days ago—but that is no longer the case. Market expert Alfredo Pedullà clarified the situation on his YouTube channel, stating: "Luis Henrique is not a priority. D'Amico, at the moment, has other necessities. There have been evaluations, but the intention is to invest the money in other roles." The message is unambiguous: Roma intends to deploy resources elsewhere. For the left flank, Udogie—the Tottenham defender—is the profile most favoured by the club. While negotiations remain to be constructed, the direction appears set.

Emanuele Lulli, the 18-year-old right-back, delivered a positive display for Roma in their final pre-season friendly against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Stadium yesterday, starting and playing 76 minutes. Gasperini has regularly deployed the class of 2007 prospect in recent weeks, with Lulli appearing in progressive minutes across warm-up fixtures: 18 minutes against Cardiff, 20 against Newport, 12 against Brighton, and the full 76-minute outing against Dortmund. The teenager, who turns 19 tomorrow, demonstrated both defensive cover and attacking thrust—precisely what Gasperini demands from his fullbacks. Roma's recruitment focus remains on the offensive flank, though director D'Amico continues work on the fullback contingent. With Tsimikas, Çelik and Angeliño departed, the squad has lacked reinforcement on the wings; only Wesley and Devyne Rensch remain from last season, with Molina arriving yesterday on his Roma debut. Lulli's composed display offers genuine hope of a permanent pathway into first-team contention under Gasperini. Lulli recorded three defensive contributions, two interceptions and three recoveries in addition to one clearance across his 76 minutes, also winning one ground duel and one aerial duel. He registered 88% pass accuracy in the opposition half (7/8) and 82% in his own half (9/11), with 2 of 3 long passes reaching their target. His ball-carrying statistics stand out: 54.9 metres gained (compared to 23.3 for Rensch), including 37.4 metres towards the opposition goal (21.3 for Rensch). Roma continue pressing on Udogie, while moves for Cacciamani and Luis Henrique face complications.

Paulo Dybala produced a masterclass performance in Roma's latest summer friendly against Borussia Dortmund at Signal Iduna Stadium, playing 86 minutes and delivering a complete attacking display. He opened the scoring in the fourth minute with a precise finish from a tight angle, then set up Bryan Cristante's header in the ninth. The display capped a remarkable pre-season for the Argentine, who has excelled throughout the summer schedule in ways he never has before at the club. Across Roma's full pre-season campaign, Dybala has accumulated three goals in matches against Primavera and Trastevere at Trigoria, a brace and an assist in the 3–3 friendly against Cannes, a goal and assist across fixtures in Wales (goals against Cardiff, assist against Newport), and a goal in Germany. He was goalless only at Brighton. Statistically and physically, Dybala appears to have arrived for the 2026–27 season in elite condition—a stark contrast to his previous summers in a Roma shirt. In 2022, after his initial arrival, he featured in only two pre-season matches (against Tottenham, with an assist, and Shakhtar Donetsk) owing to fitness concerns. In 2023 he played four of five friendlies, scoring three goals. The summer of 2024 saw him in four of five tests with one goal, while last summer he skipped all English fixtures due to post-surgical recovery and returned only in the final pre-season match against Neom.

Roma take on Borussia Dortmund in a pre-season friendly at 17:30 today, but the clash is overshadowed by an injury crisis that has left Gian Piero Gasperini with just 23 players available — only 16 outfield players and three goalkeepers. Wesley suffered a right ankle sprain yesterday, joining Niccolò Pisilli (soleus injury) and Lorenzo Pellegrini (returning to group training in mid-September) on the sidelines. The Brazilian's injury mirrors problems sustained during the Welsh training camp. With 15 days remaining in the summer transfer window, Roma's squad position has deteriorated markedly. Eight players have departed — Dovbyk, Ferguson, Angeliño, Tsimikas, Celik, Zaragoza, Venturino and El Shaarawy — while only three signings have arrived: Molina, Castro and Koulierakis. Gasperini highlighted the shortage with a pointed response on competitiveness versus last season: "According to you?", underlining particular weaknesses on the flanks, in attack and midfield, where only three players are currently available. The Dortmund match will provide minutes for Molina while also testing Roma's defensive resilience; the rearguard conceded 11 goals across four pre-season matches against Cannes, Brighton, Cardiff and Newport without a clean sheet.

Roma face Borussia Dortmund at 17:30 on 15 August in what was intended as a crucial warm-up before the Serie A opener against Fiorentina, but injuries and an incomplete squad threaten to make it another uninformative friendly. Niccolò Pisilli remains sidelined recovering from a soleus muscle injury, Lorenzo Pellegrini is not included in the squad and will not return until mid-September, and Wesley was ruled out yesterday with a right ankle sprain—the same injury that troubled him in Wales. Manu Koné and Molina only joined the group on Tuesday, leaving Roma operating well below full capacity. With 15 days remaining in the transfer window, Roma squandered an early-season advantage over rivals such as Juventus, AC Milan, and Napoli, who faced restrictions on spending until making sales. The squad composition remains problematic: Gasperini named 23 players for the Dortmund match, including three goalkeepers, leaving only 16 outfield players from the first team—eight of them defenders. The club has received repeated rejections in pursuit of a striker Gasperini has wanted for the past year and a half, and uncertainty surrounds another ongoing transfer saga involving Mora. As reported by Stefano Carina in Il Messaggero, Roma's strategic approach to the window has shifted unexpectedly, raising questions about how the final weeks will unfold.

Roma face Borussia Dortmund in a prestige friendly at Signal Iduna Park on 15 August, kick-off 17:30, in what Gasperini has confirmed will be the club's final warm-up before the Serie A campaign begins. Wesley, the Brazilian full-back, will not travel after sustaining a light ankle sprain on 14 August; he will remain in Rome for treatment with the intention of being available for the Serie A opener against Fiorentina on 24 August. Lorenzo Pellegrini, fresh from a contract renewal, continues his pre-season conditioning programme and is absent from the squad, as is Niccolò Pisilli, who has not yet recovered from injury and is working individually. Nahuel Molina, who has been training at Trigoria for several days, is among the 23 players named by Gasperini and could make his Roma debut from the first minute, particularly given Wesley's absence. Manu Koné, the midfielder, has also been included after mixing individual and group work. Gasperini is expected to field a familiar XI in defence—Svilar in goal behind Mancini, N'Dicka, and Hermoso—with Molina and Rensch on the flanks, Cristante and either El Aynaoui or Koné in midfield, and Dybala and Soulé supporting Malen up front. The Signal Iduna Park is sold out. The women's teams will also play beforehand at Stadio Rote Erde at 13:00. The men's match will be broadcast on DAZN.