Parma vs Roma: Dybala set for the bench as Pisilli starts

Giorgi Kvernadze's impressive start to the 2026-27 season at Frosinone has attracted attention from major Italian clubs ahead of the January transfer window, with Roma reportedly among those interested in the Georgian winger. Frosinone president Maurizio Stirpe has moved to dampen speculation, stating that Roma have made no formal approach. Gasperini is said to be keen on adding a right-footed attacking winger to his squad, and Kvernadze—a 2003-born prospect—fits that profile. However, Stirpe told Corriere della Sera: "Kvernadze's possible departure? As of now it's just chatter, I haven't received any phone calls. I am waiting only for official and concrete proposals."

Miralem Pjanić, the former Roma and Juventus midfielder, has praised Roma's start to the 2026–27 season while speaking at the Trentino Sport Festival. Pjanić said he is impressed by the club's performances and form on the pitch, suggesting they are capable of challenging for the title if they sustain their current level throughout the campaign. "When Roma plays, you sit on the sofa and it is a pleasure to watch them," Pjanić said. "They impress in a wonderful way for how they are on the pitch. From the first match I said that if they go at this rhythm for the whole season I don't think anyone will be able to put them in difficulty. I hope the Scudetto returns and that Roma celebrate with these spectacular fans."

Miralem Pjanic has praised Roma's current form under Gasperini, saying the club's attacking play is so impressive that no rival will be able to stop them if they maintain their pace throughout the season. Speaking at the Trento Sport Festival hosted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, Pjanic reflected on the team's early-season performances: "When Roma play you sit on the sofa and it's a pleasure to watch them. They impress in a wonderful way in how they are on the pitch. From the first match I said that if they go at this rhythm for the whole season I don't think anyone will be able to put them in difficulty. I hope the scudetto returns and that Roma celebrate with these spectacular fans." The former Roma midfielder's comments reflect a broader consensus among observers and former players that Gasperini's squad are playing compelling football. Pjanic's endorsement highlights the optimism surrounding the club's title ambitions this season, with the giallorossi demonstrating both attacking flair and consistency in their early fixtures.

Roma's growth extends far beyond the pitch. The Friedkin Group is executing a comprehensive strategy built on investment, youth development, sustainability and a new stadium at Pietralata designed to fundamentally reshape the club's economic scale, according to CEO John Galantic speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport. Since the Friedkins arrived, the club has invested approximately €1 billion, with a further €1.3 billion allocated to the stadium project. Galantic outlined the club's approach to sustainable development: "We have three projects: renovating youth academies, thanks to people like D'Amico and Margiotta. Then the next growth stage between the Primavera and first team: the Under 23 is essential for us. And finally synergies with our team at Cannes, which is in the richest talent market. Every year we want to put new players developed in-house to grow and have a sustainable model." This strategy is already visible in the development of players like Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli, who have become integral to the first team. The true transformation will arrive with the new stadium. Roma aims to lay the foundation stone by March 2027 and estimates that in its first full operational season, the stadium could generate a 245 per cent increase in matchday revenue compared to 2025, without accounting for potential new sponsorships. Galantic stated: "In four years the stadium will change everything, it raises revenue and allows us to make a very important sporting and economic leap. It's a stadium conceived for the fans." He contrasted the new ground with the Stadio Olimpico: "The Olimpico is beautiful and full of memories but it wasn't made for football. We've studied several exciting elements. We imagine the South Stand more united, it will be something special." On the ownership's broader approach, Galantic added: "The Friedkins did it in silence, with facts and with investments. Sometimes silence is golden and it works."

The Friedkin Group has committed €1 billion in investment to Roma's long-term project, centred on a new stadium at Pietralata with a €1.3 billion price tag designed to transform the club's finances and competitiveness. John Galantic, appointed to oversee the expansion, outlined a three-pillar strategy: renovating the youth academy under academy directors D'Amico and Margiotta, establishing an Under-23 team to bridge Primavera and the first squad, and leveraging Roma's partnership with Cannes to identify emerging talent. The club aims to place new academy graduates into the first team annually to create a sustainable model without reliance on pure transfer profits, with academy graduates Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli cited as examples of the approach already bearing fruit. The new stadium forms the centrepiece of this expansion. Roma targets laying the foundation stone by March 2027 and projects that the first season of operation will generate a 245% increase in revenue compared to 2025, exclusive of new sponsorship deals. Galantic explained the strategic vision: "We have three projects: renovate the youth academy, thanks to people like D'Amico and Margiotta. Then the next growth phase between Primavera and the first team: we need the Under-23. And finally synergies with the Cannes squad, which is in the richest talent market. Every year we want to place new players developed in-house to grow and have a sustainable model." On the stadium itself, Galantic stated: "In four years the stadium will change everything—it increases revenue and lets us make a very important sporting and economic leap. It's a stadium designed for fans. The Olimpico is beautiful and full of memories but it's not made for football. We've studied various elements and they're enthralling. Imagine the South Curve more united—it will be something special. The Friedkin family has done all this quietly, with facts and investment. Sometimes silence is golden and it works. For Italy, a €1.3 billion investment is a signal to pursue similar projects."

Marten De Roon is preparing for a starting role in the wake of Bryan Cristante's injury, which will keep the Italian midfielder sidelined for approximately three weeks. De Roon, 35, is competing with Niccolò Pisilli for the position; Pisilli has impressed head coach Gian Piero Gasperini with a strong start to the season. The Dutch midfielder and Pisilli possess different characteristics, with De Roon operating as the more conservative option in midfield. Gasperini has consistently backed De Roon since his arrival at Roma, and the midfielder now has the chance to demonstrate why he remains the coach's trusted figure in the middle of the park.

Gian Piero Gasperini is already planning Roma's January window despite the club sitting top of the table with a functioning attack led by Dybala and Malen. Between appearances at the Trento Festival and work at Trigoria, Roma are targeting reinforcements in the attacking department, focusing on players currently struggling for minutes at their clubs. A conversation between CEO Galantic and Gasperini at the festival underscores Roma's philosophy of planning winter moves in advance. Roma's priority remains a quality wide forward, with evaluation also ongoing into a more complete profile like Oosterwolde. Four players already tracked in the summer transfer window remain in the club's sights: Gittens, Leweling, Luiz Henrique and Endrick. The common thread linking them is a shortage of regular playing time. Gittens, a Gasperini favourite, has yet to debut in the Premier League. Leweling plays only sporadic minutes at Stuttgart and was excluded from the initial squad list under new national team coach Klopp. Luiz Henrique remains blocked in Russia by bureaucratic issues that have also cost him national team call-ups. Endrick's situation is the most delicate. Mourinho secured him at Real Madrid over the summer, but the Brazilian has virtually disappeared: just four minutes across La Liga and the Champions League combined. That picture of underuse could shift as soon as November, when UEFA will make decisions on the Settlement Agreement, opening new scenarios potentially favourable to Roma heading into the winter market.

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the Festival dello Sport in Trento, hosted by La Gazzetta dello Sport, reflecting on his time at Roma. In an exchange on the club's social media channels, he was asked about defining moments from the previous season and fielded questions on several topics. When asked which match had moved him most since taking charge, Gasperini said: "I would say the last league match against Verona, because there was the feeling of having reached an important milestone and with great satisfaction from the supporters." On the season's most difficult encounter, Gasperini pointed to Roma's trip to Milan to face Inter last season as the period when the club's form dipped most severely. "However, the last match we played was on another level entirely," he added. The coach was also quizzed on which player had surprised him most. He highlighted Donyell Malen's goal tally as unexpected: "The number of goals from Malen was something no one could have imagined. For the rest, they have all been very positive surprises." When asked which player he had always wanted to manage but never had the chance to, Gasperini responded with humour to a question about Lionel Messi, laughing at the suggestion. The remarks came amid reports that Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina had declined to travel to Messi's farewell international event.

Radio pundit Piero Torri has voiced concern that Bryan Cristante's injury could be more serious than initially thought, and has outlined how he would approach Roma's upcoming fixtures if the midfielder is unavailable. Speaking on Radio Manà Manà Sport Roma (90.9), Torri said: "I'm afraid Cristante's injury may not be a short one. If he's not fit, I wouldn't risk trying to get him back for Real Madrid. I would play de Roon at Como and Pisilli against Real Madrid." Torri also reflected on head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's handling of Paulo Dybala's minutes, saying the manager's approach has shifted his perspective. "What Gasperini said about Dybala struck me—it erased my previous beliefs about his playing time and management. And so far he's been proved right," Torri noted. He suggested Roma should begin discussions about Gasperini's contract intentions, given that the coach's deal will expire at the end of the season. Former Roma striker Roberto Pruzzo, speaking on Radio Radio Mattino (104.5), praised goalkeeper Mile Svilar's importance to the team: "Svilar is a world-class goalkeeper for Roma, I have no doubt about it. If there's a normal goalkeeper, it's easy to lose 3–1. But with him it's different."

Marco Materazzi, the former Inter player and 2006 World Cup winner with Italy, has publicly backed Gianluca Mancini as the best defender in Serie A. Speaking at the Trento Festival to La Gazzetta dello Sport, Materazzi demonstrated his affection for the Roma defender, whom he has long been an idol to — Mancini wears the number 23 both for Roma and for Italy in tribute. Mancini is no stranger to Materazzi's admiration. When asked to rank Serie A's top defenders, Materazzi named Mancini ahead of Bisseck, Rrahmani, Akanji, Chalobah, Pavlovic, Balerdi, Ramón, Solet, Gila, Hermoso and Alaba. For Balerdi he noted: "You know he's a fan of mine and I'm his idol, so Mancini." On Gila he said: "I can't vote for a Milanista." When it came to Inter players, however, Materazzi's heart took over. Asked to choose between Mancini and John Stones, he replied: "Stones, he's Inter." The English defender prevailed over Scalvini and Bremer, but ultimately finished behind Alessandro Bastoni in Materazzi's final ranking.

Gian Piero Gasperini spoke at the Festival dello Sport on 2 October about the foundations of his Roma project, the character of his squad, and the club's ambitions this season. The coach outlined how he has built the team around a clear playing philosophy focused on taking the ball rather than waiting for opponents, and how he has shaped the personalities of senior players to match that vision. Gasperini praised his defensive line as "one of the best in Europe," highlighting Mario Hermoso and Gianluca Mancini as examples of players with both technical quality and the fighting spirit he demands. He also emphasised Bryan Cristante's importance as a player who sacrifices individual prominence for the collective good. On Paulo Dybala, Gasperini said the Argentine has enjoyed an exceptional start to the season with no injuries disrupting his availability: "He still has the enthusiasm to play football, you can see he is well. There have been years of physical fragility, with injuries that held him back. I always thought it was a training matter... He has remarkable fibre, he started training properly and this start to the season is extraordinary. He doesn't miss a minute." Gasperini suggested Dybala's reluctance to shoot from distance stems from past injuries but believes he will regain that ability soon. On young players, Gasperini explained his approach to developing Emanuele Lulli and Niccolò Pisilli. He brought Lulli into the first team after observing his characteristics in pre-season training. Regarding Gianluca Romano, whom Roma have sold, Gasperini said: "Another young player grown in Roma, very interesting. I was sorry he was excessively criticised after his first Nazionale match, but it is adults who must be more cautious in their judgements. Romano's sale is a capital gain; often societies are forced to sell young players, this is not a good thing. In football the finest jewels must be allowed to grow." On Donyell Malen's arrival and early goal-scoring form, Gasperini explained: "At times planets align and things happen you think are unrealisable. We needed a striker because Dovbyk was injured. There were several names, then I came to know of this opportunity. He was leaving Aston Villa for a tactical reason, he wanted to play as a centre-forward and I have always thought he must play in the penalty area. This his ability to make three very quick touches is his weapon." When asked if Malen could match the 36-goal tallies of Gonzalo Higuaín and Ciro Immobile, Gasperini replied: "I hope so, I've told him that to motivate him... If he reaches 30 goals I would be happy anyway." On Roma's prospects and the atmosphere at the club, Gasperini said: "It was a very positive surprise; outside Rome it is described as an environment that swings back and forth. I found passion and enthusiasm, beautiful but also mature attachment. At this moment the fans are happy and recognise themselves in this squad, then clearly the maximum result would be extraordinary. But the environment is beautiful, there is a desire to play well to enthuse them." He also commented on the new stadium project, saying he had seen the rendering and it was "fantastic" but that the Olimpico in Roma's colours is already "beautiful, though the stands are far from the pitch." Regarding Roma's centenary in 2027, when the first stone of the new stadium will be laid, Gasperini reflected: "A hundred years is a milestone of experience and for me also of emotion. Think of how many people have carried this society forward, how many fans have dedicated their lives to Roma. You must carry all the history without renouncing it, to have an even better future. Roma's second centenary will be even more beautiful than the first."

France and Italy drew 1-1 in a Nations League match at the Stade de France in Paris. Olise scored for France and Bastoni for Italy. Roma's two international representatives in the squads, Manu Koné and Gianluca Mancini, both remained on the bench for the full 90 minutes. The fixture was billed as one of the tournament's flagship matches between the sides managed by Zidane and Mancini.