Real Madrid's Valverde ruled out for Roma clash on 14 October after ankle injury

Nine teams have begun the season unbeaten, and the Friedkin Group owns two of them. Roma have won four matches and drawn two, while Everton have recorded four victories and three draws. The pair stand among an elite group that also includes Liverpool, Brentford, Freiburg, Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Paris FC and Monaco—each without a defeat so far. At Roma, the atmosphere reflects confidence in the ownership's direction. Head coach Gasperini has stated his contentment with the project, and the society's presence is felt more acutely than in the past. The situation at Everton has proven more fractious: supporters there have been critical of the summer transfer activity. The Friedkin Group can take satisfaction from having constructed two genuinely strong squads this time around.

Manu Koné claimed the headlines after his double against Inter in a commanding midfield display, but Roma's engine room has already delivered five goals across Serie A and the Champions League this season. Koné and Niccolò Pisilli have each scored twice—Pisilli sealing the finales against Fiorentina and Torino—while Bryan Cristante marked his Champions League debut with a goal at Fenerbahçe. Cristante, known for his long-range shooting and prowess from set-pieces, represents one of the squad's sharpest finishers from distance and in headed situations. Roma sit top of the table and have shown marked improvement on the same stage a year ago, building on the momentum of the final matches of last spring. Training resumed at Trigoria from yesterday with a limited squad available, and the club awaits the resumption of action against Como, which remains some time away.

Manu Koné's brace against Inter has silenced doubts about the French midfielder and lifted Roma to seven different goalscorers across league and Champions League action so far this season. Donyell Malen leads the charge with six of Roma's 14 total goals, but the attacking depth runs wide: Koné, Matías Soulé, Rodrigo Mora, Mario Hermoso, Bryan Cristante and Niccolò Pisilli have all found the net. Among Serie A clubs including cup competition, only Inter have done better with nine different scorers; Como, Juventus and Sassuolo also stand at seven. Paulo Dybala remains goalless but has been instrumental in Roma's attacking play, either scoring or assisting more than half the team's goals through direct and indirect involvement. The spread of scoring responsibility represents a significant strength as Roma press forward in both domestic and European competition.