Ndicka ruled out for season with hamstring injury; Koné and Pellegrini doubtful for Verona

Gianluca Mancini will miss Italy's international fixtures after suffering a fresh pain in his right hamstring that forced him out of Roma's clash with Sassuolo. The defender will stay at Trigoria during the two-week break to continue his recovery, with the aim of returning for the league match against Parma. Thirteen Roma first-team players have been called up by their national teams. With Mancini out, only Ghilardi and Pisilli will travel to Italy's senior squad, while young Lulli is set to feature for Baldini's Italy Under-21 side. Mancini had already reported a muscle problem in the days before the Sassuolo game. Gasperini will use the break to recharge and take stock of the injury list. He has welcomed back Koné for the Sassuolo match and is optimistic about players returning for the resumption of competitions. The international picture is wide-ranging. Vásquez returns to the Colombia squad for the first time in three years, a welcome note after a special week that saw the goalkeeper make his Champions League and Serie A debuts for Roma. Young De Marzi has been called up by the USA Under-20s. Balerdi, Castro and Soulé will answer Argentina coach Scaloni's call. Wesley joins Brazil under Ancelotti, while Malen will play under Xavi for the Netherlands for the first time. N'Dicka (Ivory Coast) and Koulierakis (Greece) have also been named. Nineteen-year-old Rodrigo Mora is ready to make his senior debut for Portugal. On the injury front, Dybala's condition is improving markedly, and the break offers him the ideal chance to regain his best form. Mile Svilar is set to return between the posts in Parma, having put his right foot fracture firmly behind him.

Gian Piero Gasperini has said Roma will not settle for second place after a 3-0 win over Udinese, a result that took him to 303 Serie A victories, passing the legendary Nereo Rocco and setting a new personal record for the coach. The win also extended Roma's run to 18 consecutive useful home league games at the Stadio Olimpico, a sign of renewed solidity at home and of a squad that has responded to every tactical and mental demand placed on it. Speaking after the match, Gasperini rejected any scaling back of Roma's ambitions. He said: "I won't settle for second place. The beauty is fighting for this championship until the end. Of course, we mustn't fool ourselves too much, but it is imperative to believe." He named Inter as the main favourites, adding: "Inter are rightly the stronger favourites, but if they slip up a little... we can compete. We are there." The coach also praised the team's growing threat in front of goal: "We are increasing our ability to score a lot, we do it in many ways and we are happy about this." On the injury front, Mancini has picked up a strain to his right hamstring. Roma expect to have both Svilar and Dybala fully recovered for the trip to Parma after the international break.

Roma's intensive run of fixtures is over, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has given the squad three days off. Training resumes on Wednesday, with Roma's next match away at Parma on 21 November, after the international break. Gasperini is hopeful of having Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar back available. Gianluca Mancini will not join up with his national team because of a muscle strain in his right hamstring, and he will remain in Rome to receive treatment. Manu Koné will also be available to the coach for the next two weeks. Lorenzo Pellegrini's recovery is taking longer, and he is not expected back until 2027.

Gianluca Mancini will miss Italy's international fixtures after suffering a fresh pain in his right hamstring that forced him out of Roma's clash with Sassuolo. The defender will stay at Trigoria during the two-week break to continue his recovery, with the aim of returning for the league match against Parma. Thirteen Roma first-team players have been called up by their national teams. With Mancini out, only Ghilardi and Pisilli will travel to Italy's senior squad, while young Lulli is set to feature for Baldini's Italy Under-21 side. Mancini had already reported a muscle problem in the days before the Sassuolo game. Gasperini will use the break to recharge and take stock of the injury list. He has welcomed back Koné for the Sassuolo match and is optimistic about players returning for the resumption of competitions. The international picture is wide-ranging. Vásquez returns to the Colombia squad for the first time in three years, a welcome note after a special week that saw the goalkeeper make his Champions League and Serie A debuts for Roma. Young De Marzi has been called up by the USA Under-20s. Balerdi, Castro and Soulé will answer Argentina coach Scaloni's call. Wesley joins Brazil under Ancelotti, while Malen will play under Xavi for the Netherlands for the first time. N'Dicka (Ivory Coast) and Koulierakis (Greece) have also been named. Nineteen-year-old Rodrigo Mora is ready to make his senior debut for Portugal. On the injury front, Dybala's condition is improving markedly, and the break offers him the ideal chance to regain his best form. Mile Svilar is set to return between the posts in Parma, having put his right foot fracture firmly behind him.

Roma have moved up to 27 points after 11 matchdays following a 3-0 win over Sassuolo, with eight victories and three draws and no defeats. Gian Piero Gasperini's side have not started a Serie A season this well since 2016. The only better start in the period cited came in 2013/14, when Garcia's team reached 31 points thanks to a run of ten consecutive wins at the start of the campaign. Donyell Malen was involved against Sassuolo, providing the assist for Rodrigo Mora despite failing to score. Former striker Luca Toni praised the Dutchman but was keen to make a comparison of his own. Toni said: "Malen sta facendo un exploit, fin da subito ha dimostrato personalità. Ma io ero più bomber di lui: una volta la Serie A era un'altra cosa." In English: "Malen is having an exploit, from the very start he has shown personality. But I was more of a goalscorer than him: Serie A used to be a different thing." Toni also said he does not believe strikers necessarily score more under certain coaches. Marco Di Bello refereed the Roma-Sassuolo match and was given an average rating of 5.75. He was right not to award a penalty for a suspected handball by Van der Brempt, and he also allowed Mora's goal for 3-0 to stand. His handling of the game was judged too fragmented, and a few clear fouls went unpunished, including a holding offence by Caleta-Car on Malen. The scuffle between Hermoso and Esposito was considered risky but drew no disciplinary action. In the player ratings from the main newspapers, Mario Hermoso was Roma's best performer with an average of 7.4. Rodrigo Mora followed on 7.1 and Bryan Cristante on 7.0, while Soulé finished on 6.9 and Balerdi and N'Dicka on 6.7. Vásquez (6.0) and Wesley (6.2) received the lowest marks among the starters. Gasperini himself was rated 7.2. Gasperini said: "Non firmerei per il secondo posto. Anche la Lazio in lotta per lo scudetto." In English: "I would not sign up for second place. Lazio are also in the title race." Mora said: "Sono sulla strada giusta. La Roma è forte, si vede anche in allenamento." In English: "I am on the right path. Roma are strong, you can see it in training too."

Roma produced a dominant 3-0 Serie A win over Sassuolo, a result that erased the memory of the Manchester defeat and renewed the club's ambitions. Mario Hermoso was the standout performer in the eyes of the Italian press, unlocking a match that could have held more danger, while Mora was once again valuable for the side. Balerdi also earned praise after bouncing back from his error in Manchester with a display of great personality. The ratings from the Italian dailies were broadly positive across the squad. Hermoso received a 7.5 from La Gazzetta dello Sport, 8 from Corriere dello Sport and 7.5 from Il Messaggero, Il Tempo and Corriere della Sera, with Tuttosport giving him a 7. Mora was rated 7 by most papers and 7.5 by Corriere dello Sport and Il Tempo. Soulé earned 7.5 from Corriere dello Sport and Il Tempo, and Balerdi was rated 7 by Gazzetta dello Sport and Il Tempo, 6.5 by Il Messaggero and Corriere della Sera, and 6 by Tuttosport. The starting XI was Vasquez; Balerdi, N'Dicka, Hermoso; Molina, Koné, Cristante, Wesley; Soulé, Mora; Malen. Ghilardi came on for Balerdi in the 85th minute, Koulierakis replaced Hermoso in the 77th, Castro took over from Malen in the 77th, De Roon entered for Koné in the 66th and Pisilli replaced Mora in the 66th. Gasperini was rated 7 by Gazzetta dello Sport and Il Messaggero, 7.5 by Corriere dello Sport, Il Tempo, Il Messaggero and Corriere della Sera, and 6.5 by Tuttosport. The victory comes as Roma look to push for the top of the table, with the result seen as a clear statement of intent after the setback in Manchester.

Roma's intensive run of fixtures is over, and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has given the squad three days off. Training resumes on Wednesday, with Roma's next match away at Parma on 21 November, after the international break. Gasperini is hopeful of having Paulo Dybala and Mile Svilar back available. Gianluca Mancini will not join up with his national team because of a muscle strain in his right hamstring, and he will remain in Rome to receive treatment. Manu Koné will also be available to the coach for the next two weeks. Lorenzo Pellegrini's recovery is taking longer, and he is not expected back until 2027.

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini said his side will not be drawn into talk of finishing second, after a 3-0 win over Sassuolo, and insisted the team would "stay on the perch like owls" while focusing only on their own results. Speaking to Sky Sport after the match, Gasperini praised Balerdi, who had played well at Manchester, and said the defeats in the Champions League were different from one another. "There are defeats and defeats," he said. "We lost against Real and Manchester, we had a run of wins, we drew and then always won in the league. The defeats hurt because they came late, but with performances of a high level and against teams of absolute value." Gasperini explained how Roma have been scoring goals with ease. "We reach the goal in a different way and with many players: we have reached confidence and clarity. The goal Hermoso scores is that of a quality striker. Soulé's performance was extraordinary, we have a predisposition to score, and we have done it even in defeats. This squad gives confirmations, not answers, and then you can lose." He added: "There was an unlucky episode at Manchester, that of Balerdi, and the match was born from an absurd penalty, and that must be said." Asked whether he would sign up for second place, Gasperini replied: "No. It is nice to play this championship. You must not have illusions, but neither should you be disappointed, especially when you make a journey like ours. Inter are the most accredited team, and for everything else we can compete like all the others. If you want Lazio too, I put them among these. If Inter slip up a bit, everyone else can have a go. We do not look at the others, they do not interest us: we will stay on the perch like owls." Gasperini also responded to Ciro Ferrara, who had recalled his early steps in Juventus's youth sector. "You were an incredible powerhouse, I learned a lot watching your training sessions. At that time Italian football was really strong. It was a great school." On the international break, which interrupts the league again, though only for one week this time, he said: "I hope to find the squad just as I left it. International matches please me when they play for something important. For friendlies or matches of little substance it is a shame to lose so many players, although wearing the national team shirt is always a milestone for a player." Gasperini concluded by discussing the fixture schedule: "It is difficult to play 9 matches in 27 days. We have had tough clashes against Como, Napoli, Manchester and Real Madrid. Managing the workload has not been a problem, and this allowed us to rotate the whole squad and everyone has played several times. It has also been an advantage in giving value to everyone." He turned to injuries: "The problem is injuries. We have had Svilar out for 9 matches, Cristante at the start, Dybala, Koné has returned today, and we have lost Pellegrini. Our squad is competitive but numerically it is not among the largest. We have had some injuries to strong players but not very long ones, and not many in number, at most 3-4."

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini spoke to SkySport after his side beat Sassuolo, saying the win came through patience and quality. He said Roma had been patient against a Sassuolo side that sat deep, and that the goal from Mario Hermoso, which broke the deadlock, was the key moment. Gasperini said: "Loro si chiudevano, abbiamo avuto pazienza e abbiamo vinto la partita" ("They were shutting up shop, we had patience and we won the game"). He also praised Balerdi's performance after Old Trafford, saying he had put in a strong display apart from one incident, and said Hermoso's goal was the work of a striker. Soulé also drew praise. On reacting to defeat, Gasperini said there are defeats and defeats. He noted that Roma lost to Real Madrid and Manchester United but then put together a run of wins, only dropping points in games against Como and Napoli. He said: "Sono sconfitte che bruciano per come sono arrivate ma sono state prestazioni di livello e contro due grandi squadre" ("Those defeats hurt because of how they came, but they were top-level performances against two great teams"). He said the team had increased its ability to score in different ways and with different players, and had gained important composure alongside confidence. He added that the squad keeps confirming itself and that Roma had scored plenty of goals against Real and United too. He also referred to a fortunate episode for Balerdi and a dubious penalty. Asked whether he would sign up to second place, Gasperini said: "Brutale: no." He added: "Però è bello giocarlo questo campionato. Non bisogna illudersi e nemmeno deludersi" ("But it is nice to play this championship. You must not get carried away, nor be disappointed"). He believes Inter are the most favoured side, while the rest of the table, including Lazio, can compete. On Como versus Inter, he joked that everyone is perched like owls. Speaking to DAZN, Gasperini said he was very satisfied, that winning is always enjoyable, and that the team had shown personality and quality. He recalled his time coaching Juventus youth teams, when Roma's Primavera side had beaten them, and said he had learned a great deal from watching their training sessions. Discussing the international break, he said he hopes to get the squad back in the same condition he left it, noting the break interrupts the league for just one week. He said national team call-ups are welcome when the matches are important, but that losing many players for friendlies is a shame. On the schedule, Gasperini said playing nine matches in 27 days was difficult, but the rotation policy worked and gave value to the whole squad. He said injuries were the main problem: Svilar was out for nine matches, Cristante was out at the start, Koné has returned and Pellegrini was lost. He said the squad is competitive but not numerically large, and that Roma had suffered injuries to strong players that were not long-term. Asked about improvement, he said there is always room and that the team wants to remove a few flaws, mentioning a few too many missed chances. He said the team gives its fans satisfaction, and that the club's aim is beyond results. Asked whether this is his strongest team, he said he had been unlucky in his career and that he could not make comparisons. On the transfer market, he said he is focused on the league and on getting players back, adding that Roma are clearly not well covered in attack. He said: "A gennaio si farà quel che sarà possibile, per ora non ne abbiamo parlato" ("In January we will do what is possible, for now we have not discussed it"). Gasperini confirmed Koné's return was a relief, as he had been out for seven matches. He said Koné had joined the group the previous day and was going well, and that De Roon, Cristante and Pisilli had all played a lot. He said Koné wanted to play and was given the chance. France, he noted, had made their own call-ups. Gasperini also said he would be in Genoa for an award the next day at 18:00.