Malen closing in on Roma scoring record with Torino goal

Santiago Castro is aiming to open his Roma account in Saturday's fixture at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, using the same stage where Donyell Malen made his opening contribution in giallorosso. The Argentine forward, nicknamed the "Torito", has been building match fitness and tactical understanding under Gian Piero Gasperini after remaining unused in Roma's Champions League trip to Istanbul against Fenerbahçe. Castro is expected to feature in a rotation partnership with Malen, who has been Roma's central attacking reference in the early season. The two forwards have already shown promising signs in their on-pitch alternation during the recent match against Atalanta, where Castro's introduction brought renewed energy and effectiveness to Roma's play. Though opportunities came his way in that fixture—striking both a post and the crossbar—he was denied by fortune rather than finishing. Gasperini's system appears to be building a rhythm with the pair sharing attacking duties as the season develops. Castro's return to the Torino stadium carries symbolic weight, as it was there that Malen began his Roma journey. The Argentine will be hoping to convert the positive momentum and increased game time into a concrete goal in Saturday's encounter.

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.

Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen will return to the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino tomorrow as Roma's goal-scoring twin act, 238 days after their first meeting on 18 January. Malen made his Roma debut that afternoon in a 2–0 win, partnering Dybala from the start. In just 26 minutes, Dybala set up Malen twice; the first finish was disallowed by VAR for a marginal offside. The chemistry was instant, though Dybala's meniscus injury soon disrupted the partnership's early momentum. Since that January fixture, Malen has made 24 consecutive starts, scoring 20 goals and providing 4 assists. Dybala required surgery on his meniscus but has returned as the focal point of Roma's attack this season. The two have lit up Roma's opening fixtures as the team maintains a perfect start to 2026-27, with Dybala providing multiple assists for Malen across the two seasons. Malen's last goal came at Torino in January; he will have the chance to add to his tally in tomorrow's afternoon kick-off, possibly as a substitute. For Manu Koné and Lorenzo Pellegrini, this morning's final training session at Trigoria will prove decisive for their inclusion in Roma's squad for the trip.

Santiago Castro is aiming to open his Roma account in Saturday's fixture at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, using the same stage where Donyell Malen made his opening contribution in giallorosso. The Argentine forward, nicknamed the "Torito", has been building match fitness and tactical understanding under Gian Piero Gasperini after remaining unused in Roma's Champions League trip to Istanbul against Fenerbahçe. Castro is expected to feature in a rotation partnership with Malen, who has been Roma's central attacking reference in the early season. The two forwards have already shown promising signs in their on-pitch alternation during the recent match against Atalanta, where Castro's introduction brought renewed energy and effectiveness to Roma's play. Though opportunities came his way in that fixture—striking both a post and the crossbar—he was denied by fortune rather than finishing. Gasperini's system appears to be building a rhythm with the pair sharing attacking duties as the season develops. Castro's return to the Torino stadium carries symbolic weight, as it was there that Malen began his Roma journey. The Argentine will be hoping to convert the positive momentum and increased game time into a concrete goal in Saturday's encounter.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is expected to make significant changes to his starting XI for Roma's Serie A match against Torino, with fatigue from the Champions League fixture against Fenerbahce four days earlier likely to play a role in the decisions. Koné is certain to be rested, with Pisilli poised to make his first Serie A start of the season in midfield. In defence, Balerdi is in line to start after two consecutive decisive appearances off the bench, while Mancini has shown objective difficulty maintaining rhythm and concentration, particularly after the opening 45 minutes. Molina is also expected to feature at right-back, challenging Lulli for the position. In attack, Dybala is heading towards his first bench appearance of the season. Mora will replace him, with Soulé and Malen completing the forward line. Final clarity on the side will come during today's training session.

Gian Piero Gasperini is preparing to rest Paulo Dybala for Roma's trip to Torino, with the forward having started four consecutive matches and played the full 90 minutes against Fenerbahce in Istanbul despite suffering cramps. Dybala remains one of Roma's most important players, but the proximity of the match to the Fenerbahce fixture and the more significant Inter clash at the Olimpico that follows has prompted Gasperini to consider bringing him off the bench instead. The rotation could coincide with a tactical shift. Against Torino's three-man defence, Gasperini plans to abandon the central attacking midfielder role used in recent outings and revert to a more traditional setup: two wide players behind the striker. Rodrigo Mora is expected to play on the left, while Matías Soulé should start on the right. Mora will look to bounce back from a below-par display in Istanbul that Gasperini judged to fall short of expectations, while Soulé pursues a third consecutive Serie A goal. Donyell Malen is favoured to lead the line, with Santiago Castro ready to come off the bench. Gasperini could manage the match through the five available substitutions without overhauling his starting eleven, leaving Dybala available to deploy as an in-game weapon. Mora, Soulé and Malen possess qualities that can flourish against a three-man defence.