Napoli injury blow: Vergara out for a month, misses Roma clash

Bryan Cristante, Roma's captain and midfielder, has issued a rallying cry for the squad to match last season's performance and build on it. Speaking on 6 October, Cristante acknowledged a knee complaint affecting him but expressed hope to return soon. "I hope to come back as soon as possible," he said. The midfielder also expressed emotion at the prospect of José Mourinho's return, saying: "How wonderful to embrace Mourinho again."

Napoli will be without Antonio Vergara for their Serie A trip to Roma on Saturday 24 October, kickoff 18:00. Vergara sustained a mid-grade calf strain in Italy's Nations League match against Turkey on 5 October and faces a recovery period of 3–4 weeks. Favasuli is also unavailable after sustaining a second-degree femoral rectus injury in an Under 21 fixture in recent days, and will return after the November international break. Defender Buongiorno, the club's long-term absentee, is not expected back until January 2027. Manager Massimiliano Allegri will be able to call on Meret, Spinazzola, Marianucci, Giovane, Alisson Santos and Anguissa for the eighth-round fixture against Gasperini's side. However, the availability of two key midfielders remains uncertain. McTominay is due to receive medical clearance on 7 October following ablation for a benign cardiac arrhythmia, while Oliveira is sidelined with a strain to his right adductor muscle and is expected to be out for between two weeks and a month.

Roma resumed full-squad training at Trigoria on 6 October as head coach Gian Piero Gasperini prepares the squad for the trip to Como on Sunday 11 October at 12:30. Donyell Malen and Wesley, who had been working separately in recent sessions, returned to partial group training, a development Gasperini will monitor closely over the coming days to determine when they can take part in full sessions and what role they might play against Como. The squad's numbers swelled as international players began filtering back from national-team commitments during the break. Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Emanuele Lulli, Niccolò Pisilli, Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi have all returned to Trigoria, allowing Gasperini to step up preparations for the Sinigaglia fixture. Not all players are yet available: Manu Koné is expected back at training from Wednesday. The international break had seen the squad work in reduced numbers, but those early returns have given the coaching staff positive signs ahead of the weekend fixture.