Lulli and Pisilli Called Up for Italy U21 Qualifiers

Leonardo Balerdi is expected to start in defence for Roma's match against Inter, taking a place ahead of either Evan N'Dicka or Mario Hermoso. Wesley will operate on the left, while Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala are set to play behind Donyell Malen in the forward line. A battle between Nahuel Molina and Emanuele Lulli remains unresolved ahead of the fixture. Gasperini said of the challenge: "Inter nettamente più forte, ma proveremo a inserirci. Massa? Sarà perfetto" (Inter are markedly stronger, but we will try to insert ourselves. Massa will be perfect). The match at the Olimpico is expected to draw over 60,000 supporters, with gates opening from 15:30.

Roberto Mancini has named his Italy squad for four upcoming Nations League matches, with three AS Roma players included in the 34-man group. Gianluca Mancini, Bryan Cristante and Daniele Ghilardi have been selected for fixtures against Belgium (25 September), Turkey (28 September), France (2 October) and Turkey again (5 October). Mancini and Cristante are established members of the Italian national team, but for Ghilardi, a 2003-born defender, this represents his first call-up to the senior squad. The squad announcement marks the beginning of a new era under Mancini, who returns to the Italy job following the team's third consecutive World Cup qualification failure.

Roma supporters hoping to travel to Como for the match on Sunday 11 October at 12:30 will face a new restriction: only fans in possession of a Roma fidelity card will be permitted to buy tickets for the away section. The club has continued its policy of limiting away allocations, though this time without territorial restrictions based on geography. Ticket sales for the away section open on 2 October at 12:00 and close on 10 October at 10:00. In addition, the club has banned ticket sales to residents of Lazio in all other stadium sections.

Manu Koné has been called up to the France squad by new manager Zinédine Zidane for four Nations League matches, while Roma teammates Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli have been selected for Italy's Under-21 side. The international break begins after this weekend's fifth round of Serie A fixtures, with clubs standing down for 20 days to accommodate national team commitments. Koné will feature in France's Nations League fixtures against Turkey (25 September), Belgium (28 September), Italy (2 October) and Belgium again (5 October). Pisilli and Lulli will participate in Italy U21's qualifying matches for the European Championship against Armenia (1 October) and Poland (5 October) under coach Silvio Baldini.

Roberto Mancini has pre-selected more than 70 players for his first Italy squad since returning to the national team bench and is narrowing the list down to approximately 30 names. At least seven players will earn maiden call-ups: Issa Doumbia, Alesandro Romano, Napoli's Antonio Vergara (who is also eligible for Mexico), Brentford's Michael Kayode, Sassuolo's Sebastiano Esposito, and Atalanta's Gianluca Gaetano. Bologna's Massimo Pessina and Roma's Daniele Ghilardi are on the bubble. A handful of youngsters who would not be regulars will remain with the U-21 side ahead of the Euro. Mancini is taking a notable gamble with Mohamed Ali Zoma, who blossomed with Albinoleffe in Serie C before joining FC Nürnberg, where he has scored 19 goals and supplied 5 assists in 35 matches in the Zweite Bundesliga. Among other prospects, the coach is keen on Alphadjo Cissé, Constantino Favasuli, Niccolò Pisilli, Cher Ndour, Luca Koleosho, Antonio Raimondo, Emanuele Lulli, Mattia Liberali, and Simone Lontani, though the U-21 side would be too depleted if all were promoted to the senior team; they could be called up in case of injuries. Matteo Palma and Nicolò Tresoldi, who have represented Germany to date, have not yet made their choice regarding Italy representation, while Samuel Inacio, who has Brazilian parents and has already debuted for Italy, needs three more appearances to be locked in permanently. Mancini will work with a 4-3-3 formation. Italy will be without Manuel Locatelli and Federico Chiesa, who are injured, while Marco Palestra, Riccardo Orsolini, and Nicolò Zaniolo are doubtful owing to recent muscular injuries.

Roma and Inter, the only two Serie A sides with 12 points after four rounds, meet at the Olimpico on Saturday in a high-stakes title clash. Gian Piero Gasperini's side have made a superb start to their second season in charge, winning all four league matches by an aggregate of 12–1, including a 2–0 victory at Torino on Monday with goals from Donyell Malen and Niccolò Pisilli. That came after a 1–1 draw at Fenerbahce in their opening Europa League fixture. Roma will attempt to reverse a damaging recent record: they have won only two of their last 16 encounters with Inter (D6, L10), and have lost their last five league clashes against them at home, failing to score four times in that sequence. The Giallorossi will seek to avenge an embarrassing 5–2 defeat from their last meeting. Despite the historical disadvantage, Roma's form this season suggests they can compete. They are the only Serie A team to have scored at least two goals in each of the first four rounds, and have extended their remarkable winning streak in the division to 11 games, including matches from last season. They are the second-highest scorers in Italy's top flight after four matchdays. Roma are also unbeaten in their last 14 home league matches (W11, D3) and boast one of the best defensive records in Europe's top-five leagues this season—only Arsenal and Freiburg have conceded as few goals as the Giallorossi (1). Inter, the reigning champions, are unbeaten in their last 30 Serie A games (W23, D6) despite netting just once in their only league trip so far in 2026–27, a narrow win over Cagliari. They top the scoring charts with 13 goals and have demonstrated remarkable fighting spirit, coming from 2–0 down to beat Napoli 3–2 and Udinese 5–3. However, they have conceded five goals across their last two league matches and let in at least two goals in three of their last five Serie A away games. Gasperini will have his entire squad available on Saturday, with Wesley Franca and Evan N'Dicka resuming full training earlier in the week. Manu Koné, who came off the bench at Turin, could return to the starting lineup in place of Pisilli. Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé are expected to start behind Malen. Inter will be without midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu (adductor strain) and summer signing John Stones (thigh injury), with Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji and Alessandro Bastoni forming the defensive trio. Marcus Thuram could make his first Serie A start of the season after two impressive substitute appearances. Roma's projected lineup: Svilar; Mancini, Balerdi, N'Dicka; Molina, Koné, Cristante, Wesley; Soulé, Dybala; Malen. Inter's projected lineup: J. Martínez; Bisseck, Akanji, Bastoni; Diouf, Barella, Zielinski, Jones, Dimarco; Thuram, L. Martínez.

Leonardo Balerdi is expected to start in defence for Roma's match against Inter, taking a place ahead of either Evan N'Dicka or Mario Hermoso. Wesley will operate on the left, while Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala are set to play behind Donyell Malen in the forward line. A battle between Nahuel Molina and Emanuele Lulli remains unresolved ahead of the fixture. Gasperini said of the challenge: "Inter nettamente più forte, ma proveremo a inserirci. Massa? Sarà perfetto" (Inter are markedly stronger, but we will try to insert ourselves. Massa will be perfect). The match at the Olimpico is expected to draw over 60,000 supporters, with gates opening from 15:30.

Manu Koné has been called up to the France squad by new manager Zinédine Zidane for four Nations League matches, while Roma teammates Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli have been selected for Italy's Under-21 side. The international break begins after this weekend's fifth round of Serie A fixtures, with clubs standing down for 20 days to accommodate national team commitments. Koné will feature in France's Nations League fixtures against Turkey (25 September), Belgium (28 September), Italy (2 October) and Belgium again (5 October). Pisilli and Lulli will participate in Italy U21's qualifying matches for the European Championship against Armenia (1 October) and Poland (5 October) under coach Silvio Baldini.

Roma host Inter on 19 September in a top-of-the-table clash before the international break. The match, valid for Serie A Matchday 5, kicks off at 18:00 at the Olimpico. Both sides sit joint top of the league on a perfect record after four matches. Gasperini has the full squad available for the second consecutive game. Roma's defensive lineup presents selection decisions, with Balerdi competing for a place and Molina hoping to overcome competition from Lulli. Roma vs Inter will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN with a kickoff at 18:00. To watch on television, a DAZN subscription is required, available via the app on smart TVs, Xbox, PlayStation, Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast or TIM VISION Box. Live updates will be available via Forzaroma.info and the site's social media channels on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.