Rensch and Ghilardi thrust into the spotlight

Roma are set to face Sassuolo, with Rodrigo Mora expected to start from the first minute and Leonardo Balerdi included in the match-day selection, according to the probable line-ups published ahead of the fixture. Gian Piero Gasperini has the possible options for the clash with Sassuolo. The headline notes Gollini is in doubt, and Devis Vásquez is set to be in goal again, which the report presents as a probable change between the posts. The lineup report also touches on the wider context around the squad. Koné has been left out of the France squad by Zidane, and Roma's attack has been described as record-breaking, with Gasperini now able to surpass a record set by himself. Gasperini also commented after the defeat to Manchester, saying: "We dominated." Carrick returned to speak about the victory over Roma, saying: "The first half was not bad."

Gian Piero Gasperini has put his Roma players in front of the screen to work on their collapses, projecting full-screen replays of the match against Manchester, mistakes included, in intense study sessions. Sassuolo visit the Stadio Olimpico, and the front three is confirmed as Mora, Malen and Soulé. The focus on the Manchester game reflects a wider concern at the club over losing leads and conceding late. Gasperini is using video analysis to show his players exactly where the errors came from, aiming to cure what the headline calls Roma's problem with comebacks against them before the home fixture.

Roma host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday 7 November, with kickoff at 20:45, in the final Serie A Enilive fixture before the international break. The match is the eleventh round of the league campaign. Roma return to domestic action looking to bounce back from a heavy defeat to Manchester United in the Champions League. Three points would keep the Giallorossi in touch with Lazio and Inter and help them keep Como at a distance. The match will be broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN, and co-exclusively on Sky, with kickoff at 20:45. Fans wanting to watch on television will need a DAZN subscription, which can be accessed via the app on a smart TV or a gaming console such as Xbox or PlayStation. Other devices, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and the TIM VISION Box, can also be used. The game will also be shown on Sky Sport Calcio channels, Sky Go, and streamed on Now. Supporters can follow the match through the live commentary on Forzaroma.info and social media updates on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Gian Piero Gasperini is set to start Matías Soulé, Rodrigo Mora and Donyell Malen together in attack for Roma's home match against Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico tomorrow evening. Roma have been hit by a long run of absences, with Svilar, Gollini, Rensch, Koné, Cristante, Dybala and Pellegrini all missing at least one match across Serie A and the Champions League since the international break at the end of September and beginning of October. The fixture is the ninth game in 27 days for Roma. In midfield, Marten de Roon has stood out, and he is set to start his ninth match in a row tomorrow night. The attack has been the most reshuffled part of the side, but beyond Malen's consistency, Gasperini has been encouraged by the rapid growth of Soulé and the flashes of quality from the young Mora. The trio are starting for the third game in a row in the space of a week. Roma's latest run has been mixed. In Udine, Roma won with a fiery performance at the Bluenergy Stadium, and they had the game wrapped up by the 37th minute before fading after the break. In the first half, Soulé, Mora and Malen dominated. Soulé provided assists for Malen and for a header by N'Dicka, while Mora scored the goal that made it 2-0 after Cristante's pass. Malen, with his eighth league goal of the season, continued his record-breaking form in the Roma shirt. At Old Trafford, the pattern repeated itself in the opening 45 minutes. Mora's fantastic pass set up Soulé for the 1-0, and Soulé then won a penalty that Malen converted for 2-0. At half-time Mora was substituted, Roma dropped deeper, and Manchester United staged a stunning and painful comeback. Sassuolo arrive with the worst defence in Serie A, having conceded 26 goals in 10 matches, including 12 in their last three games, played between Saturday 24 October and Monday 2 November. Mati, Rodrigo and Donyell are ready to shine again against them, with the aim of finishing this part of the season well. The article's author sums up the mood: the appetite comes with eating, and tomorrow night Roma have every condition to serve up a good dish.

Roma must put the sting of their Champions League defeat to Manchester United behind them and refocus on Serie A, when Sassuolo visit the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday. Sassuolo are coached by Aquilani, a former Roma player, and are in serious difficulty, although they had impressed earlier in the season with their football and individual quality. It is a test that should not be taken lightly for Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Roma have closed the gap on Inter, moving to within one point of them, but they are four points behind league leaders Lazio. Roma remain without Svilar, Dybala and Koné, as well as Rensch and Pellegrini. Sassuolo will be missing Volpato, Koné, Boloca and Leysen. The match is available to watch on Sky and Dazn, with kickoff time and probable line-ups also confirmed in the build-up to the fixture.

Roma face Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico tomorrow evening in their final match before the November international break, and the club's injury crisis shows no sign of easing. It is the ninth game in 27 days for Gian Piero Gasperini's side. Mile Svilar and Devyne Rensch are certainly out, as is Paulo Dybala, who trained apart from the squad again yesterday. Gianluca Mancini did not train when the squad returned to work, but there is no cause for alarm, with the club only managing his workload. He is in a race with Leonardo Balerdi to start from the first minute against Sassuolo. Roma hope to recover one or two more players, but that looks unlikely. Sassuolo are coached by former Roma captain Fabio Grosso, and the match marks a return for Roma's recent schedule to the sort of pressure that has defined this period. Manu Koné offers the brightest hope. According to Il Messaggero, the French midfielder completed a personalised session on the pitch yesterday and will take a fitness test today to try to return to the matchday squad. Leggo reports that Koné wants to play against Sassuolo and then answer the call from France. Roma are holding back, however, given his long layoff and frequent setbacks. The feeling is that the next few hours could be decisive. Pierluigi Gollini is also in doubt. Roma's medical staff are proceeding with infiltrations to resolve the back problem that forced him to withdraw from the match against Manchester United at Old Trafford. The goalkeeper will do everything he can to recover, but in the meantime Devis Vásquez is warming up. Vásquez's last Serie A appearance came on 25 May 2025, in an Empoli shirt.

Former Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani returns to the Stadio Olimpico on Sunday evening as head coach of Sassuolo, and Nemanja Matić, now the Sassuolo midfielder, is again a central figure in the fixture. Aquilani left Roma in August 2009, when he was sold to Liverpool for around 20 million euros. Years later, in an interview with GianlucaDiMarzio.com, he set the record straight: "Roma did not throw me out, they were forced to sell me. That year I was injured, Roma had enormous economic problems and had to make an important sale. Vucinic and I had several offers, Liverpool put 20 million on the table and that was that." He left a painful gap on the pitch, but he never cut the ties with the city. After a strong two seasons in Serie B with Catanzaro, he now leads a Sassuolo side that is struggling for consistency and is fighting in the dangerous zone of the table. It is the latest former player to return to the Olimpico this emotional month for Roma fans, after Mourinho and De Rossi. Aquilani also has a link to Gasperini's squad: Daniele Ghilardi. Aquilani coached him in the Fiorentina Primavera between 2020 and 2022. Ghilardi spoke about his former coach to TMW in 2023: "I remember him with affection. I didn't have many chances to play with him, but I got on well with him." Matić's story is equally charged. The Sassuolo midfielder, the leader and focal point of the neroverdi, embodied the professor's essence in midfield during his only season in the capital, and his departure still divides the Roman fanbase. To understand his weight at Roma, one has to go back to the Europa League final of 31 May 2023 in Budapest against Sevilla, the bitterest night in recent European history for the club. Amid the despair and tears of team-mates, Matić told a crying Paulo Dybala: "That's football." Months later he left for Rennes, a few days before the start of the season, after a breakdown in his relationship with Mourinho. The move was driven by a desire for a more lucrative contract and greater stability. At Sassuolo he has made 9 appearances this season, with 2 assists, one of them decisive in the 3-2 win over Juventus, and has played 77% of available minutes. He was on the bench only against Lazio, when Sassuolo collapsed at home to a 6-2 defeat. His Sofascore rating has been at least 7 in every match except the 4-2 defeat to Frosinone. Two former players, very different in their paths but sharing a common thread, will both be impossible to ignore when Sassuolo visit the Olimpico.

Roman radio pundits have debated Roma's current form ahead of their match against Sassuolo, with several insisting the club must win but cannot afford to play badly. Ugo Trani said: "Gasperini will have to deal with those who are not well. Ghilardi could play in place of Mancini, and Mora has a chance to start. Sassuolo will come to shut up shop, and Roma will have to play well in front. Right now there are three teams doing more than their value: Frosinone, Lazio and Roma. Como are doing their part, Roma are not. When de Roon arrived, people insulted whoever signed him, and now you cannot take him off the pitch." The debate also centred on Manu Koné's position with France. Piero Torri said: "There is something about Koné we do not know: does he want to go to the national team or not? Because if he wants to go to the national team, he is pushing... Honestly, I would not send him to risk it, especially since France play two real matches, one against Italy. Koné knows he has strong competition in his role in the national team, but Roma pay for it. Because if he gets hurt again, we are back to square one, and we cannot allow that." Lorenzo Pes said: "Koné is fine and in my opinion the call-up can happen. If they prefer caution, avoiding both Sassuolo and France, that would be the right choice. The final word belongs to Roma: if Roma want caution, he will hardly be called up and go to the national team. Koné, however, is not someone uninterested in the national team. On one side Roma would like to keep him, on the other there is the evidence that the player has recovered. We will see, let us wait for today, which should be the crucial one." On Gollini, Pes added: "It is unlikely he will be available tomorrow. He will try until the end, but until yesterday it was very complicated. So I think Vásquez will play, but I do not see all that much difference." Mario Mattioli said: "Given how Sassuolo are built, the rollercoaster is normal. They could also wake up. In my view, Roma are not going through one of their most brilliant moments either. I have seen cracks, and I do not know whether they come from a tiredness that is understandable or from something else. It is not, however, the Roma of three weeks ago. If Sassuolo recover, they can cause difficulties. But I believe Roma must and can win it, not comfortably, but they can do it." Asked about Dybala, Mattioli wondered: "Could the problem be diet? Are we sure he is not eating something that affects his muscle tissue?" Roberto Pruzzo said: "Roma need to bounce back immediately after the disappointment in Manchester. Sassuolo are clearly in difficulty, starting with Aquilani. The black-and-green side is not giving any more signals. This should allow Roma to manage the match or at least administer it in the best possible way. Castro is a player I back, but apart from that great goal he practically never plays: who knows, there could be room for him too." Nando Orsi questioned Roma's dependence on Dybala and Malen: "Is Roma not a little too dependent on Dybala and Malen? When Dybala was there, Malen scored a lot of goals. Today, he seems to be struggling a bit. If he does not score, an alternative is needed. Dybala will not score, but he makes assists. With Dybala, perhaps Gasperini's management was wrong, this idea of always having him play ninety minutes to prove what..."

Roma midfielder Emanuele Lulli has been named in Italy Under-21 coach Carlo Baldini's squad for two friendlies against France and Belgium. The call-up comes during the international break, which has also brought recognition for Daniele Ghilardi and Niccolò Pisilli, who have been called up to the senior Italy squad by head coach Roberto Mancini. The Under-21 fixtures are high-profile international tests against peers from France and Belgium, and will help the young side continue its development after qualifying for the European Under-21 Championship finals, to be held in 2027 in Albania and Serbia. Lulli's inclusion is a further sign of the progress of the club's young players, with Lulli representing Roma in the Azzurrini squad. Baldini's provisional squad lists the following players. Goalkeepers: Giovanni Daffara (Parma), Diego Mascardi (Torino), Lorenzo Palmisani (Frosinone), Massimo Pessina (Bologna). Defenders: Davide Bartesaghi (Milan), Gabriele Calvani (Frosinone), Fabio Chiarodia (Borussia M'Gladbach), Pietro Comuzzo (Torino), Eddy Kouadio (Monza), Emanuele Lulli (Roma), Filippo Mane (Borussia Dortmund), Brando Moruzzi (Avellino). Midfielders: Lorenzo Amatucci (Deportivo La Coruna), Tommaso Berti (Cremonese), Matteo Cichella (Frosinone), Matteo Dagasso (Venezia), Giacomo Faticanti (Avellino), Luca Lipani (Sassuolo), Cher Ndour (Fiorentina). Forwards: Alessio Cacciamani (Torino), Francesco Camarda (Milan), Luigi Cherubini (Benevento), Jeff Ekhator (Juventus), Seydou Fini (Frosinone), Samuele Inacio (Borussia Dortmund), Dominic Vavassori (Palermo).

Roma are battling a growing injury crisis ahead of Saturday's clash with Sassuolo, with Daniele Rensch's absence joined by doubts over Paulo Dybala and goalkeeper Pierluigi Gollini. Devyne Rensch has a first-degree adductor tear, the tests revealed, and will not return until the Parma match after the international break. Dybala, who did not train with the rest of the group at Monday's resumption, is heading towards missing tomorrow's game. The squad is stretched thin. Il Messaggero's Daniele Aloisi reports that Gasperini has only sixteen outfield players available, leaving him with very few choices and few decisions to make. Mile Svilar will certainly miss out, and Gollini's involvement is also at risk because of a back problem that persists, though he will try to play to the end with the help of infiltrations. Devis Vásquez is ready to step in, having not played a Serie A match since 25 May 2025. Manu Koné offers some hope. He has carried out individualised work on the pitch and will undergo a fitness test today in an attempt to return to the matchday squad. Mancini did not train yesterday for a planned, routine rest. Malen and Soulé are expected to lead the attack, with Mora pushing for a place to complete the front three. Pisilli is further down the pecking order and is set to operate in the central space alongside Cristante and de Roon. If de Roon starts, he would become the only player to have started each of Roma's last nine matches. On the right, Molina and Lulli are in contention for a spot, while Wesley will play on the left. At the back, N'Dicka is set to return, alongside Mancini or Balerdi and Hermoso.

Paulo Dybala and Manu Koné did not appear in images of Roma's group training session at Trigoria, a sign that their return for Saturday's match against Sassuolo is becoming more difficult. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are preparing for the Serie A fixture, which kicks off at 20:45 at the Olimpico, two days after the club's disappointing defeat to Manchester United. Dybala is not yet ready, while Koné, who is close to returning, is being treated with caution. A call-up for Koné remains to be decided in the coming hours. Gasperini appears set to keep Rodrigo Mora in the number ten role behind Matías Soulé, with Donyell Malen leading the attack. Mora is expected to get another start after strong recent performances. In defence, Evan N'Dicka is likely to return to the heart of the back line, while Nahuel Molina and Wesley could reclaim the full-back positions. Molina is in line to regain a starting place following the injury to Devyne Rensch, who has suffered a mild muscle lesion to his right adductor and will be out for around three weeks. Gollini, who is struggling with a back problem, remains doubtful. The aim is clear: return to winning immediately after the comeback Roma suffered against Manchester United and close out this demanding phase of the season in the best possible way. A long-awaited break will follow, giving Gasperini time to recover energy and, hopefully, a significant number of injured players. First, though, there are three points to win against Sassuolo, whose coach is Alberto Aquilani. Roma's training session on Thursday was shared by the club on its social channels in a video showing several moments of the session.

Roma return to Serie A on Saturday evening, hosting Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico in the eleventh round, the last fixture before the international break. Kickoff is at 20:45 on Saturday 7 November. Sassuolo are coached by former Roma midfielder Alberto Aquilani, and Gasperini's side will look to bounce back from the disappointment of a late comeback against Manchester United in the Champions League. Roma lost 3-2 at Old Trafford, having led 2-0 at half-time through goals from Soulé and Malen before Manchester United completed the turnaround in the second half. In Serie A the mood is far brighter. Roma beat Udinese 5-2 in their last outing and sit third after ten rounds with 24 points, from seven wins and three draws. They have scored 28 and conceded 10, and remain unbeaten in the league this season. Sassuolo, by contrast, are seventeenth with 8 points from ten matches. They arrive on a run of four consecutive defeats and have the worst defence in Serie A. Their last game ended in a 4-2 defeat at the Mapei Stadium to Fiorentina, and they have also lost to Lazio, Como and Frosinone in recent weeks. Gasperini faces an early selection problem in goal. Pierluigi Gollini missed the Manchester United game with a back problem that came up during training, and his condition will be monitored up to the match. If he is ruled out, Devis Vásquez, who started at Old Trafford, will again be in goal. Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso are expected back in defence, although Ghilardi remains a concrete option after good performances in recent weeks. Molina and Wesley are favoured on the flanks. Devyne Rensch will not be available, having suffered a right adductor injury against Manchester United. Cristante is expected to keep his place in midfield, while the partner alongside him is still open, with Pisilli possibly giving de Roon a rest. Up front, Soulé and Malen look certain to start, with Mora expected to play behind or alongside the Argentine. Koné and Dybala are doubtful, with both hoping to be available at least on the bench. Svilar will certainly miss the game, as he completes his recovery from a stress fracture to his fifth toe and is expected back after the break. Pellegrini is also out, still recovering from the muscle problem he suffered against Slovan Bratislava. Sassuolo are expected to line up in a 4-3-3. Turati is the favourite in goal, protected by a back line of Walukiewicz, Idzes, Candé and Doig. Thorstvedt returns in midfield after serving his suspension against Fiorentina, and is expected to be joined by Matic and one of Bakola or Adzic. Up front, Aquilani will rely on his most creative players: Berardi on the right, Laurienté on the opposite flank and Sebastiano Esposito as the central reference point. Leysen, who has a serious knee injury, and Ismaël Koné, who is recovering from a leg fracture, are out for Sassuolo, along with Boloca and Volpato. Roma's head-to-head record at the Olimpico against Sassuolo is strong. Of 12 Serie A meetings played in Rome, Roma have won six, five have ended level and Sassuolo have won just once, a 4-3 victory in March 2023. The most recent meeting was on 10 January 2026, when Roma won 2-0. Overall, including matches in Emilia, the record reads 13 wins for Roma, 9 draws and just 2 wins for Sassuolo. The match will be broadcast live on DAZN and Sky Sport Calcio, and streamed via Sky Go and NOW. Official line-ups will be announced about an hour before kickoff at 20:45 on Saturday 7 November.