Mora Ready for Champions League Debut as New York Times Draws Messi Comparison

Roma begin their Champions League campaign against Fenerbahçe, but the Turkish club will be without midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi, suspended following a playoff match against Lyon. Guendouzi was handed the ban after an on-field incident in which he provoked the opposing squad and supporters following victory. Fenerbahçe president Aziz Yildirim has submitted an appeal to the disciplinary tribunal. He said: "We have lodged an appeal and it will go to the appeals court. We hope the sanction is reduced." Yildirim added: "Greenwood's suspension has already been overturned and we believe Guendouzi's can also be lessened."

Roma sporting director D'Amico pursued Luiz Henrique, the Zenit winger, until the final day of the transfer window but failed to secure the Brazilian. According to ESPN, Zenit rejected an offer of €38 million plus €5 million in add-ons from Roma — the same package tabled by Al-Ittihad. Botafogo and Flamengo also made enquiries about the forward, but the move did not materialise. Gasperini had been seeking an attack-minded winger throughout the window, and Henrique was among the priority targets. Roma may revisit the possibility in January. The club is not expected to turn to free agents, ruling out players such as Guerreiro and Sancho for now.

Radio pundits across Rome's airwaves offered their verdicts on Gasperini's Roma ahead of the new season. The debate centred on Francesco Totti's absence from the club's plans, with Ugo Trani claiming the former captain was let down by both the national team and Roma itself. Trani defended Totti's character and noted that Gasperini alone had given his approval to a return: "Gasperini was also the only one to go to dinner with him and, as he has stressed, is a free man: he does what he wants, without anyone being able to tell him what to do." Francesco Balzani observed that Totti appeared hurt by how things unfolded at Roma, having waited for a call that never came. Looking ahead to the squad's composition, Balzani predicted Paulo Dybala and Manu Koné would start in Turkey, with Rodrigo Mora also featuring behind Dybala and Donyell Malen. Roberto Pruzzo praised the bond between squad and coach: "The team and manager have formed a working group that functions very well, this is a positive signal. This year Gasperini also has quality substitutes; now we'll see what happens with congested fixture schedules." Nando Orsi took the boldest stance on Roma's ambitions this season: "Gasperini knows how to manage multiple competitions. Roma will fight for the Scudetto; it is a squad that can take advantage of stumbles by Inter and Napoli. The Champions League is a fine reality, but the objective must be to win the league."

Radio pundits across Rome's airwaves offered their verdicts on Gasperini's Roma ahead of the new season. The debate centred on Francesco Totti's absence from the club's plans, with Ugo Trani claiming the former captain was let down by both the national team and Roma itself. Trani defended Totti's character and noted that Gasperini alone had given his approval to a return: "Gasperini was also the only one to go to dinner with him and, as he has stressed, is a free man: he does what he wants, without anyone being able to tell him what to do." Francesco Balzani observed that Totti appeared hurt by how things unfolded at Roma, having waited for a call that never came. Looking ahead to the squad's composition, Balzani predicted Paulo Dybala and Manu Koné would start in Turkey, with Rodrigo Mora also featuring behind Dybala and Donyell Malen. Roberto Pruzzo praised the bond between squad and coach: "The team and manager have formed a working group that functions very well, this is a positive signal. This year Gasperini also has quality substitutes; now we'll see what happens with congested fixture schedules." Nando Orsi took the boldest stance on Roma's ambitions this season: "Gasperini knows how to manage multiple competitions. Roma will fight for the Scudetto; it is a squad that can take advantage of stumbles by Inter and Napoli. The Champions League is a fine reality, but the objective must be to win the league."

Roma return to the Champions League for the first time in seven years when they travel to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce on Thursday evening. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will deploy a squad combining several players making their maiden appearance in the competition's main draw alongside seasoned European campaigners. Gianluca Mancini and Manu Koné will make their Champions League debuts, as will younger squad members including Pisilli, Lulli, Mora and Ghilardi. Gasperini can call on considerable experience to balance the newcomers. Paulo Dybala and Marten de Roon have accumulated nearly one hundred appearances between them at the highest level. Nahuel Molina and Mario Hermoso both bring over sixty European appearances from their time at Atlético Madrid, while Donyell Malen, Leonardo Balerdi and Artem Dovbyk add further continental pedigree. Dybala will lead the attack and is targeting a European goal; his last came in the Europa League final in Budapest against Seville. Roma will be supported by approximately 2,300 fans in the away section at the Turkish stadium. The domestic competition faces a ticketing restriction for the upcoming Serie A fixture against Torino: the CASMS has banned ticket sales to residents of Rome province due to potential clashes with Parma supporters travelling to Como, permitting purchases only to AS Roma Card holders from other Italian regions.

Roma enter the Champions League for the first time in seven years on Thursday evening against Fenerbahce in Istanbul, arriving on the back of three consecutive Serie A victories and with a squad that has absorbed Gian Piero Gasperini's identity. The club intends to bring the same aggression and forward-thinking approach that has impressed domestically to the continent's elite competition, though the standard will inevitably be higher. Paulo Dybala will be central to Roma's European night. Gasperini appears intent on leaning on his most experienced players to guide a return to the highest stage after a long absence. The squad blends proven European hands with Champions League debutants: Mancini, Koné, Wesley, Pisilli, Mora, Ghilardi and Lulli will compete in the competition for the first time, while De Roon, Molina, Balerdi, Hermoso, Malen and Dybala bring substantial European pedigree. Gasperini himself knows these nights well from his time at Atalanta and will attempt to transfer that experience to Roma without changing the team's character—one built on constant attacking intent and refusal to surrender. Matías Soulé is among the most anticipated performers. After physical problems last season and a summer marked by transfer speculation, the Argentine has rediscovered form with two consecutive goals against Lecce and Atalanta, plus a 93rd-minute strike that set the Olimpico alight. He now faces Fenerbahce, featuring Mason Greenwood, one of Roma's major targets during the summer transfer window. Roma arrive in Istanbul with confidence and a squad mixing veterans and debutants. While not obliged to compete as equals with Europe's strongest sides, they have the tools to become an awkward obstacle. Gasperini knows it well: seven years on, Roma return among the stars—and they intend to do so without fear.