Koné and El Aynaoui to face off in World Cup quarter-final as Roma connection returns after 28 years

Roma begin their home campaign under Gasperini as they host Fiorentina, who are seeking to bounce back from a difficult previous season. The match will be available on television and via streaming platforms, with both sides' probable formations set to be confirmed ahead of kick-off.

Roma open their 2026–27 Serie A campaign at the Olimpico against Fiorentina in less than 24 hours, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini still finalising his starting lineup. Rodrigo Mora is a serious contender to make his debut from the first minute in the attacking midfield role behind the Paulo Dybala–Donyell Malen partnership. Gasperini is expected to deploy a 3-4-1-2 formation to counter Fiorentina's four-man defence, with Wesley and Nahuel Molina set to operate on the flanks. Fiorentina boss Fabio Grosso addressed the challenge in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning. "Roma is strong, but we are prepared," Grosso said. "It will be a battle." Fiorentina have no remaining injury concerns and will have all squad members available for selection, including Atta and Kean.

Fiorentina have announced their squad for tomorrow's season opener at the Olimpico, with manager Grosso confirming that key players Atta and Kean are both fit and included in the travelling party. The Violet will arrive at full strength for the fixture. Gasperini's Roma will begin their 2026–27 campaign against opponents at full capacity. Grosso, the former Sassuolo boss now in charge of Fiorentina, has recovered his main attacking threats ahead of the match. Fiorentina's squad list includes goalkeepers Christensen, De Gea and Lezzerini; defenders Dodò, Dragusin, Viery, Jimenez, Kospo, Joao Mario, Pongracic, Ranieri and Valdepenas; midfielders Atta, Brescianini, Fabbian, Fagioli, Mandragora, Ndour and Oulai; and forwards Croci, Gudmundsson, Kean, Mastantuono, Mazzeo and Pellegrino.

Gasperini is preparing Roma's opening lineup for Monday's visit of Fiorentina, with the shape of his team already taking clearer form in the final days of the transfer window. The Stadio Olimpico will host Fiorentina, managed by Grosso, who despite their youth and last season's league position will present a stern test. Gasperini has identified Fiorentina's preference for a 4-3-3 setup during summer friendlies and is likely to counter with a 3-4-1-2 formation against their four-man defence, adapting his usual structure. That system would see Rodrigo Mora operating as the trequartista behind the Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen partnership, a position where the Argentine could make an immediate impact and deliver more options than Matías Soulé offers from the left flank. The formation can shift to a 3-4-2-1 during play when Malen presses higher up the pitch. Gasperini will keep some selection decisions until the final stages of Monday's match. Wesley and Molina appear set for the right flank, while Kostas Tsimikas contests the left-back role against Mario Hermoso for a starting place. The central defensive duel between Evan N'Dicka and Fiorentina's Kean will be a critical battleground — N'Dicka has struggled more than usual against Kean's pace and explosive moments from his time at Juventus. Fiorentina's Arthur Atta will be their wildcard variable, looking to disrupt Roma's defensive shape by dropping deep and unsettling the back line. Molina will have dual duties: creating danger down the flank through his runs while containing the constant forward drives of Valdepeñas. The final training session takes place this afternoon at Trigoria, where remaining selection dilemmas—including the Mora-Soulé contest and the Cristante-Neil El Aynaoui decision—will be resolved. Gasperini continues to wait for one more attacking wide player with different characteristics from Mora during the summer window. Monday brings the first competitive test of the season, a tactical chess match between two managers with distinct philosophies and clear identities. Roma will need a strong start in a title race that this year features more Champions League contenders than ever before.

Alessandro Romano's performance against Parma has reignited debate over Roma's decision to sell the academy-grown midfielder this summer. One impressive display cannot define a career, but it sharpens a legitimate question: did Roma truly need to part with a 2006-born centrocampist who had grown through Trigoria and showed sufficient maturity for Serie A football? Romano need not have started regularly. He could have remained behind Koné, Neil El Aynaoui, Cristante and Pisilli, developing daily alongside more experienced players and serving as a cultivated alternative. With Champions League, the league and the Coppa Italia to contest, opportunities would not have been scarce. Roma will face the season with only four central midfielders. In that context, Romano would not have been a decorative addition but a genuine rotational resource, allowing Gasperini to manage the energy of senior players while offering quality in build-up play, insertion runs and long-range shooting—precisely what he demonstrated so impressively at the Tardini. As an academy product, he would also have been a valuable solution for European competition without consuming slots reserved for foreign purchases, a material advantage given UEFA's annual compliance constraints. The sale was primarily financial. Romano had virtually no book value, and the approximately €5 million plus bonuses from Cagliari represented nearly pure profit. Roma needed revenue by 30 June and the young midfielder was among the most readily monetisable players available. Yet this creates a contradiction: the club invests millions acquiring young talent from other leagues while repeatedly using Trigoria's finest products to balance the books. The immediate economic gain risks becoming technical and financial damage over the medium term. The names Calafiori and Frattesi return inevitably to memory—different paths, but united by the same principle: talents formed by Roma, sold before full maturity, later becoming too expensive to reclaim. No one can guarantee Romano will reach their level. But by selling him outright, without publicly reported buyback or resale percentage clauses, Roma has surrendered the right to guide and control his development. His Parma goal does not confirm a fresh historical error, yet it sounds an alarm. Romano could have failed, learned and improved wearing Roma's shirt. Instead the club chose immediate income—substantial but not decisive. The risk is having deprived itself once again not only of a promising young player but of the chance to discover how far he might have gone.

Gian Piero Gasperini is weighing up his starting lineup for Roma's Serie A debut against Fiorentina, with Mora under consideration for a place from the start. Niccolò Pisilli is currently favoured over Neil El Aynaoui in midfield contention. Roma held their final training session at Trigoria today ahead of the match on 23 August 2026. The squad will remain in ritiro overnight before their opening fixture of the season.