Mancini sends message of love to Roma with Instagram post from Curva Sud

Mile Svilar is continuing his rehabilitation work in Belgium as Roma count down his return to action. The goalkeeper posted a carousel of photos on social media with the caption: "This too shall pass." Svilar is expected back after the November international break, though head coach Gian Piero Gasperini is hoping to have him available for the match against Sassuolo on 7 November. Pierluigi Gollini will continue in goal for the coming fixtures. Gollini featured against Real Madrid and was among the poorest performers in that match.

Paulo Dybala and Manu Koné will undergo instrumental scans on 16 October to determine the severity of injuries sustained in Roma's recent fixture. Koné suffered a problem to his biceps femoris with fears of a muscle tear, while Dybala withdrew with a muscular strain. His entourage has signalled optimism, though confirmation will come after the scans. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini must navigate significant absences for the Genoa match, with Donyell Malen unavailable through suspension and Dybala and Koné unlikely to feature. This will force tactical changes beyond a typical rotation: Rodrigo Mora, Niccolò Pisilli and Santiago Castro are expected to feature more prominently. The run of injuries follows Roma's recent disappointment at the Olimpico, where Gasperini must shift focus quickly to the league fixture without time to dwell on that setback. The enforced absences represent a necessity rather than planned squad management, as the technical staff grapples with multiple unavailability. Genoa will provide Roma's immediate opportunity to bounce back, with the league offering no respite. Former manager Daniele De Rossi will return to the Olimpico as Genoa's head coach. Speaking on the fixture, De Rossi said: "Like the match last year, I prepared it like all the others and was focused on the game. Perhaps having already played against Roma might help me be a bit more detached, but the real difference is that I prepared last year's first leg worse while the second one a bit better."

Roma are awaiting instrumental examinations on Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala, both withdrawn early from Wednesday's Champions League match against Real Madrid. Dybala is suspected to have suffered muscular overload, but greater concern surrounds Koné, the French midfielder who appeared in tears after sustaining a flexor injury to his thigh. Tests scheduled for 16 October will clarify the severity of both injuries and recovery timescales. The assessments come as Gian Piero Gasperini faces the prospect of losing two more first-team regulars on top of existing absences, with Roma due to face Genoa on Saturday evening. The Stadio Olimpico is preparing a new Hospitality area in the Tevere Stand to complement the existing facility in the Monte Mario Stand. Work on the space is nearing completion and the new area could be inaugurated on Saturday during the Genoa fixture, offering dedicated services including catering to Hospitality bracelet holders. When interviewed by TNT Sports Brasil, Wesley expressed satisfaction with his performance against Real Madrid despite the result. "I'm happy, it's nice to receive a compliment from a manager like Mourinho," he said. The Brazilian revealed he had prepared carefully for his duel with Vinícius: "I was telling myself that I had to stop him. I was ready and I'm happy with my match, even though I still have a lot to improve." Gasperini had personally entrusted Wesley with the task of containing Real's attacker. "He told me he would put me to mark Vinícius and that he believed in me. I answered: 'Okay, let's go'," Wesley explained. Commentators offered contrasting perspectives on the performance. Carina on Radio Radio attributed Roma's collapse to individual errors: "It's hard to explain Roma's collapse. Roma played a spectacular match, dominated it, but matches last until the 90th minute and beyond. There were certainly individual errors: on Endrick's goal there's a marking error from Balerdi, on Rüdiger's from Molina. But it would be unfair to blame them entirely: it was a general collapse." Pedrelli on Radio Bruno 101.5 preferred to judge the display on performance rather than result: "I don't look at the result, but at the performance. A great match from Roma despite so many absences, against one of the strongest teams in the world. We're not far from making a real leap forward. Gasperini is the manager I wanted, especially in the answers he gives after the match."

Paolo Condò analysed Roma's Champions League defeat to Real Madrid in an exclusive interview, emphasising the growth the club demonstrated despite the loss. Roma were the strongest of the four Italian sides to lose in the competition this week, and held Real Madrid at bay for 80 minutes before conceding twice more to lose what Condò described as a painful collapse. Condò highlighted the defensive vulnerability that emerged when Mancini and Hermoso were substituted. "When they came off, the defence fell apart," he said. "We were missing the player who, at 3–3, would say 'we're not playing this game any more and we finish it like this'. Ultimately the pitch seemed to slope in Real Madrid's favour—they always have at least four world-class players fresh on the pitch at the end." He argued that Endrick, the Spanish club's young forward, decided the match and that Mancini's absence was critical: "I believe if Mancini had been on the pitch Roma would not have conceded three goals from corners." Condò noted that Roma's character was evident in midfielders Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné, defender Gianluca Mancini, and goalkeeper Mile Svilar, though he felt their personalities were not fully deployed in the closing stages. On Roma's standing in Serie A, Condò was clear: "Roma remains the most credible anti-Inter candidate, and there are two proofs: they are the only side to have taken points from Inter, and they drew against Como with ten men." He assessed that Roma went closer to victory when at full strength, while in numerical disadvantage they conceded little. Condò also observed that Como, under Fabregas, has fallen behind Gasperini's Roma since that match.

Roma face Genoa at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday 17 October at 20:45 in Serie A matchday seven, aiming to return to winning ways after a 4–3 Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. The Giallorossi drew 0–0 against Como and 0–0 against Inter before the Real Madrid loss; they have not won since facing Torino. Genoa, managed by Daniele De Rossi, won their first match of the season last time out, beating Fiorentina 2–1. Gasperini will make changes to his squad following injuries sustained against Real Madrid. Manu Koné left the pitch in the first half with a muscle problem, while Paulo Dybala was substituted at half-time with a muscular strain; both remain under assessment as of 15 October, with recovery timings unclear. Mile Svilar is out with a fractured toe, Bryan Cristante with a knee problem, and Donyell Malen suspended following his red card against Como. Roma last won on matchday six against Torino. In Gasperini's 3–4–2–1 formation, Pierluigi Gollini will start in goal with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso in the three-man defence. Emanuele Lulli and Wesley are set for the full-back positions, with Marten de Roon and Niccolò Pisilli in midfield. Santiago Castro will lead the attack in place of the suspended Malen, Matías Soulé will play behind him, and Rodrigo Mora is favoured to complete the attacking line if Dybala cannot recover; Lorenzo Pellegrini is an alternative. De Rossi's Genoa are likely to line up in a 4–4–1–1 with goalkeeper Bijlow, but a 3–5–2 with Vitinha alongside the striker remains possible. Roma hold a dominant record at the Olimpico against Genoa: across 65 official matches played in the capital, the Giallorossi have won 48, Genoa 9, with 8 draws. Most recently Roma won 3–1 on 29 December 2025; before that, on 17 January 1990, Genoa last won at the Olimpico, prevailing 1–0. The official lineups will be confirmed before kickoff. The match will be broadcast on DAZN and Sky Sport, with streaming available through NOW and Sky Go according to subscription level.

Real Madrid won 4-3 against Roma on 14 October in a match that carried special significance for José Mourinho, who returned to Stadio Olimpico as an opponent for the first time since his spell in charge of the club. Roma supporters demonstrated their affection for the former manager with dedicated banners honouring him throughout an intense encounter. After the final whistle, Mourinho greeted three Roma players — Gianluca Mancini, Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala — in conversation in the plaza outside Stadio Olimpico near the team coaches.