N'Dicka undergoes tests after Lecce injury; muscle lesion feared

Jan Ziolkowski has sustained a significant injury while on loan at Monza from Roma. The Polish defender will be sidelined for several weeks, Monza head coach Ivan Juric confirmed at a press conference. Juric stated: "We are unlucky. Ziolkowski has suffered a plantar fascia injury and will be out for a long period." Ziolkowski is currently with Monza on a temporary deal that includes a purchase option. The exact timeframe for his return remains uncertain, and further updates on his condition are being awaited.

Scott McTominay's return from surgery for a benign cardiac arrhythmia will take longer than initially expected. The Napoli midfielder could miss up to 11 matches and not return to action until November, according to reports. If that timeline holds, he will miss one of Napoli's most significant fixtures: the visit to Roma. The match between Roma and Napoli is scheduled for Saturday 24 October at 18:00 at Stadio Diego Armando Maradona. McTominay's absence would represent a substantial loss for Napoli in one of the first half of the season's most anticipated direct clashes. The recovery projection currently points to a November return, after Roma have already faced Napoli. The precise timing depends on how McTominay progresses in the coming weeks.

AS Roma have named their squad for tonight's Serie A fixture against Atalanta at the Stadio Olimpico, the third matchday of the season. Evan N'Dicka and Devyne Rensch are both included in the convocations and return to Gasperini's disposal after recent absences. Paulo Dybala is also in the squad, having been carefully managed over the past days with regard to fatigue and workload. N'Dicka missed Roma's away trip to Lecce due to an inflammation but has progressively resumed full training with his teammates during the week; his inclusion confirms his availability for selection. Rensch has recovered from a physical problem sustained in recent weeks. The returns strengthen Gasperini's defensive options ahead of tonight's match and Roma's forthcoming Champions League debut this season. Dybala presents no concern; the Argentine is available and included for the Atalanta encounter. The squad list shows ten defenders: Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi. Five midfielders have been named: Cristante, De Roon, Koné, Pisilli and Mora. Five attackers complete the group: Castro, Malen, Soulé, Dybala and Arena.

Roma commentators have praised the team's attacking display and tactical discipline following a win over Atalanta, with radio panelists highlighting Matías Soulé's performance and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's growing imprint on the squad. Mirabella told Radio Romanista that Soulé was the standout performer, noting his immediate impact despite uncertainty over his future. "Today Matías Soulé felt at home," he said. Frequelli credited Mario Hermoso as the best player on the pitch, citing both his contribution to Roma's equaliser and his resilience after contributing to Atalanta's goal. Bighi echoed the praise for Soulé's growth and drew attention to Gasperini's tactical approach: "The manager is working very well. The squad has won not just through passion but through the work Gasperini is doing." Carina told Radio Radio that Roma has finally become "Gasperiniana"—reflecting the same style viewers saw in Gasperini's Atalanta teams. He noted an unusual tactical choice in the match, saying Gasperini won the game by removing two defenders: "If he hadn't taken off N'Dicka and Mancini, Roma would have suffered the second goal, because both struggle against Kristovic and go into difficulty. With Ghilardi and Balerdi, Roma regains the centre." He identified Rodrigo Mora as a player capable of beating defenders one-on-one but requiring development, while flagging the underlying financial burden: "The problem Roma carries with it is the cost: 50 million." Orsi credited Roma's fitness and tactical organisation, noting they have scored 10 goals across their first three matches this season. "Roma merits more than the 9 points in the league table," he said. Pruzzo expressed reservations about Mora, stating: "In a half he doesn't touch ten passes, though on a couple of occasions he did well. If he doesn't improve in level, I have the impression that something else is needed." Di Giovambattista highlighted Paulo Dybala's contribution of four assists in three games and praised the crowd's role in Roma's comeback. Pes told TeleradioStereo that Gasperini's next step must be restoring Dybala's goal-scoring form, adding: "Roma have conviction and hunger. Winning in Istanbul allows you to start a good path. It's a tough stadium to face, but Roma feel they can win the match."

A motorcycle collision involving Rome's police escort overshadowed Roma's build-up to their Champions League debut on Thursday. A 63-year-old local police officer suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries when his motorbike collided with a car at the junction of via Baldo degli Ubaldi and via Pieralice during the convoy to the team bus on Monday. The Roma squad and CEO John Galantic witnessed the crash, with Galantic requesting updates on the officer's condition. An investigation is now under way to determine why a vehicle was moving on a road that should have been closed to traffic. Roma have already turned attention to Thursday's Champions League opener against Fenerbahçe in Turkey. The squad undertook a recovery session at Trigoria on Sunday, with departure to Turkey scheduled for Wednesday ahead of the press conference and final training. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will assess Wesley and Evan N'Dicka, while Paulo Dybala's energy levels are being monitored after he played 96 minutes in Saturday's match. Nahuel Molina could start in place of Emanuele Lulli, favoured by his international experience, though Gasperini appears unlikely to make wholesale changes. Away supporters face further disruption. Following the closure of Roma's allocated section at Lecce, the upcoming trip to Turin is also at risk. Torino have suspended ticket sales pending decisions from the relevant authorities. The National Observatory on Sporting Events has deferred evaluation to the CASMS, which must rule on the away fixture. On the bench, Gasperini was stopped mid-celebration after the winning goal against Atalanta on Saturday. Assistant Mauro Fumagalli held the head coach back as he moved toward the Curva Sud, with the restraint serving a disciplinary purpose: Gasperini was already carrying a yellow card, and an exuberant display risked a red card and suspension for the Torino match.

Roma return to the Champions League for the first time in seven years on Thursday 10 September, travelling to Istanbul to face Fenerbahce in the League Phase's first matchday with a 18:45 kickoff. The match will be broadcast on Sky Sport and available to subscribers via Sky Go. Gasperini's side arrive in buoyant form after a 2–1 comeback win against Atalanta in Serie A, where Hermoso and Soulé scored in the closing stages, and have won their opening three league matches. Roma are expected to line up in a 3–4–2–1 formation with Svilar in goal, a back three of Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso, Wesley and Molina as full-backs, Cristante and Koné in midfield, and Dybala and Soulé supporting lone striker Malen. Molina and N'Dicka remain in contention with alternatives, and the squad picture will become clearer in training over the coming days. Lorenzo Pellegrini is almost certain to remain absent. Fenerbahce will be without Guendouzi, the former Lazio midfielder, who is serving a four-match suspension (two of which are conditional) following a fight during their qualifier against Lyon. The Turkish side reached the League Phase unbeaten through the preliminaries, eliminating Górnik Zabrze, Sturm Graz and Lyon, though they suffered a recent domestic setback when losing the derby to Besiktas after wins over Konyaspor and Samsunspor. In European competition they remain unbeaten across seven matches. Their probable lineup shows Ederson in goal, Semedo, Škriniar, Aké and Brown across the defence, Kanté and Yüksek in midfield, and Asensio, Aktürkoğlu and Nene behind striker Lukaku. This will be the first official meeting between the two clubs. Fenerbahce have won their last three home matches against Serie A sides without conceding, the most recent a 2–0 victory over Lazio in the 2012–13 Europa League quarter-finals. Official team lineups will be announced approximately one hour before kickoff, around 17:45 Italian time.

Roma's radio stations have given their verdicts on Saturday's victory over Atalanta, with commentators split between praising the performance and assessing the squad's depth ahead of the Champions League debut on Thursday. Piero Torri of Radio Manà Manà said: "For now Roma are on full points alongside Inter, and these are certainly positive responses. From now until December it will all be a question of injuries: if Roma are not hit by injuries, their squad is sufficient. In any case, Pisilli and Rensch remained on the bench on Saturday, then Pellegrini will return. Without excessive problems, then, the squad is sufficient; in January you can possibly fine-tune something at a quantitative level. In any case, you have 21 players, and good ones too: if you put them on the pitch you don't have a collapse in quality." Torri added that when a team functions well, a player rated 6 can look like an 8. Francesco Balzani highlighted Balerdi's impact as a substitute, calling it "decisive" and praising the victory as "a win in the Mourinho style with Gasperini's football." Antonio Felici stressed that the win over Atalanta showed Roma can succeed even when facing difficulty in the 90 minutes, representing "the victory of self-awareness." Simone Valdarchi echoed the praise for Gasperini's tactical substitutions, saying Balerdi in particular "changed the inertia of the match" and allowed Roma to escape the difficulties created by Krstović and return to dominating play. Nando Orsi noted Roma have scored 10 goals so far and represent "a complete team where everyone can score," calling them underperformers on 9 points in the league table. Lorenzo Pes said Gasperini's next step is convincing Dybala he can score again, noting the striker will want to feature in Thursday's Champions League debut.

Gian Piero Gasperini hailed Roma's mental strength after a comeback victory, telling Sky Sport that losing such a match would have been difficult to process. The manager praised his players' composure when trailing, noting that they refused to panic and maintained tactical discipline throughout. "The most important aspect was the comeback itself," Gasperini said. "We didn't throw anything away, we kept the field open and played with lucidity. Even if we had lost, it would have been difficult to talk about it." Gasperini highlighted the impact of his five substitutions, particularly the defensive changes. "The substitutions were very important," he explained. "When you keep attacking like that you spend a lot of energy and risk the match taking a different turn. The changes at the back were important too – Balerdi and Ghilardi came in and we had continuity of action even though they started dangerously." He also credited goalkeeper Carnesecchi as "extraordinary" but acknowledged his side lacked clinical finishing. "We had many slow shots and were rewarded in the end," Gasperini said. On his squad depth, Gasperini noted qualitative improvements despite numerical gaps. "In terms of numbers we're missing two or three players," he said. "Qualitatively, yes – tonight's substitutes proved it. On the bench I still had De Roon, Koulierakis and Rensch, and Pellegrini is out. The important thing is to avoid injuries because numerically we don't have a Champions League squad. Qualitatively we can make changes without drops in performance." Dybala completed 98 minutes and was not injured, though Gasperini noted fatigue from the heat and the physical demands of mounting a comeback. The manager said rotation will become necessary once fixtures intensify after the international break, with potential Sunday-Wednesday-Saturday schedules ahead.

Gian Piero Gasperini highlighted Roma's character and squad depth after a 3-2 victory over Atalanta in Serie A matchday 3. Roma came from behind following a first-half deficit, managing the physical demands of the heat to secure the win. Gasperini said of the comeback: "When you win like this, they are signals that the group believes in itself." The coach emphasized the importance of his substitutions in maintaining pressure as Roma fired 39 shots across the match. "The changes were important," Gasperini explained. "When you keep attacking like that you spend a lot of energy and might not score, risking the match taking a different turn. The defensive substitutions were key—the way Ghilardi and Balerdi came in, we regained continuity of play." He credited Atalanta goalkeeper Carnesecchi with crucial saves and noted Roma lacked their usual sharpness in finishing: "We were rewarded in the end." Gasperini addressed Roma's attacking options and injury concerns. Asked whether Santiago Castro and Donyell Malen could play together, he said: "They can coexist, we'll see as we go. After the international break there will be many difficult matches with opportunities for everyone, and chances to vary our system of play." Matías Soulé came on and was "decisive," while Nahuel Molina "gave us quality." Gasperini confirmed Paulo Dybala played the full 90 minutes but was "a bit tired," adding that "playing in these conditions, having to chase, you spend a lot." He noted the squad quality had improved: "In terms of numbers, no, but qualitatively tonight's substitutions prove it—I still had Marten de Roon, Devyne Rensch and Konstantinos Koulierakis on the bench, and I have Lorenzo Pellegrini out. The important thing is we have no injuries."