Lulli fit for Torino trip after overcoming intestinal virus

Gian Piero Gasperini held his pre-match press conference at 13:30 on 13 September from Trigoria ahead of Roma's fourth-round Serie A fixture against Torino on Monday 14 September at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, with kickoff at 18:30. The head coach addressed several topics in the buildup to the match, a second fixture in five days for Roma. Emanuele Lulli has recovered from injury, but Gasperini fielded questions about the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini. The discussion also covered a potential minor rotation in the squad ahead of facing Torino manager Abate. The press conference came a few days after Roma's opening Champions League match, which ended in a draw against Fenerbahce. Gasperini's full remarks were made available following the conference.

After three league matches and nine points, Roma face their first genuine fixture congestion on the back of Champions League action midweek. Gian Piero Gasperini must now navigate his first serious turnover decision, with Manu Koné sidelined by a knee problem, Paulo Dybala cramping through the closing stages, and Gianluca Mancini appearing fatigued before his substitution. The manager faces a delicate balance: rotation has become unavoidable, but wholesale change could disrupt the coordinated pressing, tight spacing, immediate aggression after possession loss, and attacking patterns that have been central to Roma's bright start. Gasperini has built Roma's perfect opening around a squad that has rapidly learned to recognise itself. Making too many changes at once risks undermining those automatisms. Yet selective intervention is inevitable. Without Koné, Niccolò Pisilli appears the natural solution alongside Bryan Cristante; deploying Marten de Roon, though he has the deepest familiarity with Gasperini, would require him to build understanding with new teammates. In attack, resting Dybala makes sense, with Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora able to provide freshness behind Donyell Malen without overturning the offensive identity. Mancini also warrants consideration—he appeared below his usual standard in Istanbul, while Leonardo Balerdi brought aggression and intensity after entering the pitch. The real test lies in the principle Gasperini must master: having no untouchable starting eleven, yet changing three or four players without the football itself changing. Roma arrive at Torino with a perfect record and, more valuably than nine points, a recognisable shape. Three or four changes can regenerate; seven or eight risk creating a different team entirely. The paradox would be protecting energy by sacrificing the very continuity that has made the season's start so strong. For the first time, Gasperini must genuinely manage the squad rather than simply select the strongest team. That quality—doing turnover so well it barely shows—will define whether Roma can sustain their level across multiple competitions.

Donyell Malen knows the way to the net against Torino. The Dutch forward scored twice on his Roma debut against Torino on 18 January at the Stadio Olimpico–Grande Torino, though one was ruled out for a marginal offside by VAR. After opening the season with a hat-trick against Fiorentina and a double against Lecce, Malen has gone without a goal in his last two matches against Atalanta and Fenerbahce but will have a chance to rediscover his scoring touch tomorrow evening. A goal in that fixture would make him the third player in Roma's history to score more than five goals after the first four league matches of a season. The other two are club legends: Pedro Manfredini, who scored 7 in 1960-61, and Francesco Totti, who scored 6 in 2001-02. Malen wears number 14 and will be looking to add his name to that elite list at the Olimpico tomorrow.

Gian Piero Gasperini held his pre-match press conference at 13:30 on 13 September from Trigoria ahead of Roma's fourth-round Serie A fixture against Torino on Monday 14 September at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, with kickoff at 18:30. The head coach addressed several topics in the buildup to the match, a second fixture in five days for Roma. Emanuele Lulli has recovered from injury, but Gasperini fielded questions about the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini. The discussion also covered a potential minor rotation in the squad ahead of facing Torino manager Abate. The press conference came a few days after Roma's opening Champions League match, which ended in a draw against Fenerbahce. Gasperini's full remarks were made available following the conference.

Alessandro Romano has been sold to Cagliari for €5 million plus bonuses potentially rising to €6.5 million, but the move has reignited debate about Roma's pattern of disposing of young talent at underdeveloped stages. Signed from Winterthur in 2022 for approximately €70,000, Romano had been viewed at Trigoria as a prospect with significant potential and was developed into a Serie A-standard midfielder within a few years. From a financial standpoint, the transaction is defensible: the enormous profit relative to the initial outlay is straightforward. The deeper question, however, is whether Roma will later regret the sale. The club is not alone in facing pressure to generate revenue from youth players—academies exist partly to produce economic value, and no organization can retain all its talents indefinitely while waiting to identify which ones will flourish. Roma's position has been complicated by UEFA settlement agreement obligations in recent years, making the academy a significant revenue source; since 2022, youth departures have generated tens of millions. Yet a pattern has emerged. Davide Frattesi developed into an internationally competitive midfielder away from Rome; Riccardo Calafiori represents probably Roma's greatest regret. Romano's career trajectory will determine whether Roma sold him at the right moment or too early. The concern is not that he is currently ready to displace Manu Koné or Bryan Cristante, but that a talent still developing is precisely the type a club should attempt to maintain some form of control over when possible. The issue becomes more acute when considering Emanuele Lulli, who came close to joining Avellino during the summer in a deal that could have included a loan with an option to buy. The principle remains constant: when market conditions force a club to seek resources, young players become one of the easiest paths. Romano was sold in a summer when Roma needed to generate plusvalenzas and protect players deemed central to the first team. Romano will reveal through his career whether Roma timed the sale correctly or sold too soon. The lesson from Frattesi and Calafiori should be clear: while some young talent will inevitably escape, when Trigoria develops a player with something extra, maintaining some link to his future may ultimately be worth far more than immediate profit.

Emanuele Lulli will face Torino's Nicolò Cacciamani on Sunday 13 September in what shapes as a duel between two 2007-born Italians, with incoming national team coach Roberto Mancini expected in the stands to observe them both. Roma had targeted Cacciamani during the summer transfer window, offering up to €12 million, but Torino demanded at least €20 million. Lulli remained at Trigoria after Gasperini blocked a potential loan departure and deployed him immediately as a starter. In a separate development, the Salah-Eddine saga has concluded. The Moroccan defender has accepted a transfer to Panathinaikos on a loan deal with a €5 million buy option plus bonuses, with no conditions that would trigger an automatic obligation. His exit follows exclusion from the club's UEFA list and Gasperini's comments ahead of the Atalanta fixture. Roma's women's team will contest the Serie A Women's Cup semi-final against Sassuolo at Stadio Ricci at 12:00, live on Sky Sport. The Giallorosse seek revenge after losing 0–1 to Sassuolo at Tre Fontane in late August. Baldi returns in goal and Oladipo has been called up; Lukasova and Pilgrim are absent, the latter sidelined by knee inflammation.

Gian Piero Gasperini held his pre-match press conference at 13:30 on 13 September from Trigoria ahead of Roma's fourth-round Serie A fixture against Torino on Monday 14 September at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, with kickoff at 18:30. The head coach addressed several topics in the buildup to the match, a second fixture in five days for Roma. Emanuele Lulli has recovered from injury, but Gasperini fielded questions about the fitness of Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini. The discussion also covered a potential minor rotation in the squad ahead of facing Torino manager Abate. The press conference came a few days after Roma's opening Champions League match, which ended in a draw against Fenerbahce. Gasperini's full remarks were made available following the conference.

Emanuele Lulli missed training on 12 September with influenza ahead of Roma's Serie A clash against Torino on 14 September at 18:30 at the Stadio Olimpico-Grande Torino, a fourth-round fixture. The 19-year-old defender hopes to recover in time for the match and undergo a decisive final training session. Gian Piero Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria at 13:30 on 13 September, with an eye toward rotation given Roma's three fixtures in just over a week—including a Champions League match against Fenerbahce and a home encounter with Inter the following Saturday. Koné and Pellegrini are also focal points of Friday's training assessment. The French midfielder has a knee issue that is not a major concern but will not be risked; he trained separately on 12 September, meaning Niccolò Pisilli is expected to start alongside Bryan Cristante in midfield at Torino. Pellegrini is hoping to earn his first squad call-up of the season. Lulli, a 19-year-old from Palestrina, is keen to face Torino's Cacciamani, who recently renewed his contract with the Turin side, and to perform in front of national team coach Mancini, who is scheduled to attend the match according to reports.

Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen return to the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino on 14 September, the exact ground where their partnership first took flight. The pair made their debut together on 18 January, when Malen joined Roma and Dybala set up two chances in just 26 minutes—the first disallowed for a marginal offside. That immediate understanding came before Dybala underwent knee surgery, which sidelined the Argentine. Over the 238 days since that first meeting, Malen and Dybala have driven Roma to a perfect record at the start of the 2026-27 season. Malen has made 24 consecutive starts, scoring 20 goals and laying on 4 assists. Dybala, back in action after his operation, is chasing his next goal; his last came against Torino itself. He may be used as a substitute in tomorrow's fixture. Gasperini's final team selection will depend on fitness assessments at Trigoria this morning. The training session will determine whether midfielders Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini are available for selection ahead of the squad's departure to Piedmont.