Massa to Referee Roma-Inter; Mazzoleni at VAR

Davide Massa of Imperia will referee Saturday's Serie A encounter between Roma and Inter at the Stadio Olimpico on 19 September at 18:00, the fifth round of fixtures. The supporting officials are Meli and Berti, with Maresca as fourth official. Mazzoleni will handle VAR duties and Di Paolo will be the assistant VAR. Roma's record with Massa is unfavourable: 34 matches yielding 10 victories, 12 draws and 12 defeats. His most recent appointment in charge of the Giallorossi came in the 2025–26 season, a 2–1 loss to Como at the Sinigaglia Stadium where Wesley was sent off for a second yellow card. Roma have failed to score in 10 matches under Massa's control. Their last win with him as referee dates to the 2022–23 season: Inter 1–2 Roma at San Siro, with goals from Dybala and Smalling. Inter enjoy a contrasting record. In 33 matches officiated by Massa, they have won 23, drawn 5 and lost 5. Their most recent fixture under him came in matchday 32 of the 2025–26 campaign, a 3–4 victory over Como at the Sinigaglia. Massa also directed matchday 7 of that same season, when Roma lost 0–1 to Inter.

Roma and Inter lead Serie A after four matches, both on 12 points with a perfect record. The two sides meet at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday at 18:00 in a direct contest between the league's two unbeaten teams. Inter have scored more (13 to Roma's 12), while Roma have conceded fewer goals (1 to Inter's 6). Roma hold top spot on goal difference alone: +11 to Inter's +7. Alongside Lazio and Como, both Roma and Inter stand out as the season's most in-form sides, distinguished as the only two teams to have beaten every opponent they have faced in Serie A—whether by comeback (Inter against Udinese, Roma against Atalanta), narrow margins (Torino against Roma), or heavy scorelines (Roma against Fiorentina and Inter against Monza). Roma remain unbeaten across all competitions this season; Inter have suffered one defeat. Both Gasperini and Chivu deploy a three-man defence but differ from midfield onwards. Inter favour a 3-5-2 with a regista and two box-to-box players; Roma prefer an extra attacking player to link the lines and feed forward Malen. Both sides build from the flanks and press high up the pitch. Roma's attacking pair of Dybala and Malen will face Inter's Thuram and Lautaro, while both squads benefit from strong domestic cores and versatile substitutes capable of winning matches from the bench.

Davide Massa of Imperia has been appointed to referee Roma's match against Inter on Saturday 19 September at 18:00 at the Olimpico, a key fixture at the top of Serie A. Massa will be assisted by Meli and Berti on the touchline, with Maresca as fourth official. Gianluca Mazzoleni will oversee VAR operations, supported by Di Paolo as AVAR. Massa brings extensive experience in handling Roma. He has now refereed the Giallorossi on 34 occasions—more than all but two clubs he has controlled across his career. Only Juventus and Lazio, each with 35 meetings, have faced him more frequently. Roma's record under Massa stands balanced: 10 victories, 12 draws and 12 defeats across those encounters. Saturday's fixture will mark the 35th time Massa takes charge of Roma, arriving at a moment when the opening weeks of Serie A have produced competitive racing between the two sides.

Andrea Stramaccioni, a former coach of both Roma's and Inter's youth academies and a former Inter first-team manager, has offered his analysis ahead of Saturday 19 September's match between Roma and Inter at the Olimpico. Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Stramaccioni drew on decades of experience with both clubs to assess the upcoming fixture and its significance. Stramaccioni recalled his first encounter with Gasperini in the summer of 2003 at Crotone in Serie C1, where Gasperini was already implementing his 3–4–3 system as a mantra. He described Gasperini as "a fury, in field and out", recounting how Gasperini once persuaded the club president to abandon coach travel in favour of flying to away matches to change the team's mentality. That season, Gasperini won the playoff against Viterbese and secured promotion to Serie B. Stramaccioni also praised Leonardo Balerdi and Paulo Dybala for their form this season, and singled out Donyell Malen as having elite striker's pace. On Inter, he noted that while Lautaro Martínez made errors, "mistakes are part of the journey. Inter backed him, we're only at five matches. Chivu will defend him to the death." On the tactical battle ahead, Stramaccioni identified the key contests: Roma will invert their attacking shape to control Piotr Zielinski and prevent Inter's fullbacks from building play, while watching the flanks closely, with an unusual duel between Wesley and Youssouf Diouf. For Inter, he highlighted how movements from the strikers in combination with Barella can disrupt Roma's man-to-man marking. Crucially, Stramaccioni noted that Gasperini's philosophy struggles against the 3–5–2 system—since January 2010, against coaches using this formation (Conte, Simone Inzaghi, and Chivu himself), Gasperini has lost ten times and drawn four. He assessed that "whoever wins will give the first blow to the rival, putting morale in the bank," calling it an early title statement. Both squads have strengthened, he said, but "Gasperini has closed the gap considerably." Stramaccioni expressed concern that Malen, now a "special focus" for opposition, will battle Lautaro for the scoring title, and that Dybala's assists will prove decisive for Roma's chances in the match.

Davide Massa of Imperia will referee Saturday's Serie A encounter between Roma and Inter at the Stadio Olimpico on 19 September at 18:00, the fifth round of fixtures. The supporting officials are Meli and Berti, with Maresca as fourth official. Mazzoleni will handle VAR duties and Di Paolo will be the assistant VAR. Roma's record with Massa is unfavourable: 34 matches yielding 10 victories, 12 draws and 12 defeats. His most recent appointment in charge of the Giallorossi came in the 2025–26 season, a 2–1 loss to Como at the Sinigaglia Stadium where Wesley was sent off for a second yellow card. Roma have failed to score in 10 matches under Massa's control. Their last win with him as referee dates to the 2022–23 season: Inter 1–2 Roma at San Siro, with goals from Dybala and Smalling. Inter enjoy a contrasting record. In 33 matches officiated by Massa, they have won 23, drawn 5 and lost 5. Their most recent fixture under him came in matchday 32 of the 2025–26 campaign, a 3–4 victory over Como at the Sinigaglia. Massa also directed matchday 7 of that same season, when Roma lost 0–1 to Inter.

Davide Massa has been appointed to referee Roma's Serie A clash against Inter at the Olimpico on Saturday 19 September at 18:00, with the fixture a top-of-the-table encounter between the two league leaders. Mazzoleni will oversee proceedings from the VAR room, supported by Di Paolo as AVAR. Meli and Berti are the assistant referees, while Maresca takes the fourth official role. Roma's record with Massa in charge stands at ten matches without victory. The last Roma win under his direction came in October 2022 when Roma beat Inter 2–1 away at San Siro. Most recently, Massa officiated Roma's trip to Como on 15 March, a match Roma lost 2–1 after Wesley was sent off in a controversial decision for a foul on Diao near Roma's penalty area. The full list of Serie A Week 5 referees has been announced: Perenzoni handles Monza–Sassuolo (Friday 18 September at 20:45); Guida takes Bologna–Torino (Saturday 19 September at 15:00); Manganiello directs Udinese–Cagliari (Saturday 19 September at 15:00); Sozza referees Venezia–Lazio (Saturday 19 September at 20:45); Doveri oversees Fiorentina–Napoli (12:30); Chiffi directs Frosinone–Como (15:00); Mariani handles Parma–Genoa (15:00); Zufferli referees Juventus–Atalanta (18:00); and La Penna takes Milan–Lecce (20:45).