Roma return to the Champions League on Thursday at 18:45 against Fenerbahçe at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul, ending a seven-year absence from Europe's elite competition. Spanish referee Jesús Gil Manzano will oversee the match, supported by assistants Diego Barbero and Guadalupe Porras Ayuso, with César Soto Grado handling VAR duties. The fixture marks the opening day of the new League Phase format, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini targeting a finish in the top 24 to secure a guaranteed playoff spot—a target requiring approximately twelve points, according to his roadmap.
Ahead of the trip, defender Mario Hermoso addressed the media, emphasizing Roma's readiness to match the intensity they displayed in their recent Serie A victory over Atalanta. "The intensity and mentality will be the same we showed against Atalanta," Hermoso stated, highlighting the squad's defensive discipline and Gasperini's demanding approach to pressing football suited to European competition. The defender praised the coach's impact since arrival: "Gasperini, when he arrived, put the mentality of growth in each of us as a squad. From last season to this season we have grown."
In a humanitarian gesture, Roma will display the World Food Programme logo on their shirts, replacing their regular Eurobet.live sponsor due to Turkish restrictions, in support of Nepal following recent floods and landslides affecting approximately 43,000 people. Match-worn shirts will be auctioned, with proceeds directed to relief efforts. Former Lazio striker Paolo Di Canio offered cautious optimism about Roma's campaign, telling La Stampa that Roma "can enjoy themselves" in the competition, though he identified PSG, Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal as the main contenders.
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