Pellegrini closing in on return as Gasperini watches recovery progress

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'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.

Fabio Capello has praised Roma's form under Gian Piero Gasperini, comparing the current squad's winning mentality to the 2001 Serie A champions. Speaking to Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Roma manager said he sees Roma as Inter's main challengers this season. Capello highlighted the team's one-on-one pressing across the pitch and their ability to create chances through quality passing in the final third. "The Roma has continued on the same path as last season and is maintaining the same attitude with an important playing base and quality: moreover it has fielded a new player, Mora, who has already integrated perfectly into the team's mechanics. I had said it even twenty days ago: the anti-Inter in effect is Roma," Capello said. Capello credited Gasperini with instilling a sacrifice mentality in the players and building the squad alongside sporting director Massara. He praised the depth of Gasperini's squad, noting that the manager wanted two starting-quality players per position—a strategy that showed its value in Saturday's match at the Olimpico through second-half substitutions. The former coach was particularly impressed by the attitude of substitute players coming off the bench, saying they all display the same winning desire without any sense of grievance about being brought on mid-match. Capello highlighted several attacking options available to Gasperini: "Malen-Castro, Dybala-Soulé, Mora and then midfielder Pellegrini: they are options for the league but also for the Champions League. They are quality players who integrate well; Gasp's continuous rotations will also help them give their best. They all play with great determination." He singled out Wesley as the engine on the flank, noting he dominates in Serie A but is now facing a test of strength and maturity in European competition. On Paulo Dybala and Mora, Capello said: "You cannot give up Dybala when he is playing well. And Mora is showing he has class and also concrete finishing. But I also want to emphasise the importance of Soulé: playing even 20 minutes in the second half, he is someone who can make the difference as he did against Atalanta." Capello drew explicit parallels with his own Roma title-winning side: "Many similarities. My first year at Roma we understood we were strong, then we completed the squad with Batistuta." On whether a northern coach's temperament suits Rome's volatile environment, he reflected: "I am always convinced that you need the players to win. But at Rome it is true that you easily move from exaltation to depression: equilibrium is always necessary, a bit of cold blood—perhaps someone recognises these characteristics in me and in Gasp." Regarding the January transfer window, Capello said Roma should only sign if the right profile emerges: "Taking for the sake of taking, no. If anything, we would need to sign a player who can make an impact."

Roma's momentum under Gasperini reached new heights on Saturday when the team overturned Atalanta in a display that has sparked genuine championship-contending optimism at the club. The performance was built on extraordinary attacking output: an expected goals figure of 3.24, 39 total shots on Carnesecchi's goal, 67% possession and just two shots on target conceded. Over three league matches, Roma have now scored 10 goals and conceded only 1—figures that place them among Europe's most dominant teams this season, with only Barcelona ahead in Europe on 12 goals. Gasperini's tactical setup and substitutions proved decisive: Castro, Balerdi, Molina and particularly Soulé made decisive impacts from the bench in a display built around Paulo Dybala and an Argentine contingent. The club's defensive solidity matches its attacking prowess, reflecting a squad with genuine depth across two balanced elevens despite missing a left-winger signing that Gasperini hopes to address in January. By Friday, Roma had returned to training with Lorenzo Pellegrini available ahead of Thursday's fixture against Fenerbahçe in European competition. However, Saturday's celebrations were marred by a serious incident at Stadio Olimpico. Sporting director D'Amico was verbally assaulted by Luca Percassi as he left the stadium; Percassi pursued the Roma executive to the car park before security intervened. Roma issued a strong statement in response to the episode.