Roma continue preparations as Bah sidelined; Pisilli speaks from Wales camp

Roma stayed in Friuli after their league win at Udinese to train at the Bianconeri's sports centre before heading to England for Tuesday's Champions League match against Manchester United at Old Trafford, which kicks off at 21:00. The club thanked Udinese on social media with the message: "Grazie per l'ospitalità". The session forms part of the plan to handle the two closely spaced fixtures without returning to Rome in between. In his post-match comments after the win at Udinese, Gian Piero Gasperini gave an update on the injured players, saying the return of Svilar, Koné and Dybala before the international break remains uncertain. Gasperini said: "Difficile. Ci spero. In teoria tutti e tre, ma potrebbe anche essere no per nessuno. Vediamo questa settimana, sarà decisiva." Of the three, the Argentine Dybala is reported to be closest to a return, recovering from a muscle injury. However, his call-up for Tuesday's game against Manchester United is considered unlikely. The Champions League match will be refereed by the Spaniard Jesús Gil Manzano. His assistants are Ayuso and Barbero, the fourth official is Munuera, the VAR is Del Cerro Grande and the AVAR is Fernandez. The most recent meeting between the referee and Roma was the Fenerbahce-Roma draw (1-1) on 10 September, the first matchday of the competition. The first encounter came on 7 November 2019, when Roma lost 2-1 away to Borussia Mönchengladbach in the Europa League group stage. The pair also met on 22 February 2024 at the Olimpico, when Roma drew 1-1 with Feyenoord after extra time and won on penalties. Rome radio has praised Roma's current form. Fabrizio Aspri on Radio Radio said: "Su Mora lo stesso Gasp si è sorpreso, il suo desiderio era cambiare la Roma e renderla bella sugli esterni. A gennaio vuole l'esterno a piede invertito e manca anche un centrocampista. La Roma sta facendo miracoli perché è forte, ma serve qualcos'altro. Il giudizio su Mora è super-positivo, ma Gasp non vuole questo per gennaio." Andrea Pugliese added: "Ghilardi sta diventando molto importante, partita dopo partita sta crescendo sempre di più. Gasp mette sempre Cristante e poi gli altri 10. Cristante si è conquistato la fiducia negli anni. E' un giocatore fondamentale per l'economia della squadra."

Roma did not return to Rome after their 5-2 win over Udinese on Friday evening and instead spent the night in Friuli to prepare for their Champions League trip to Manchester United on Tuesday 3 November at Old Trafford. Gian Piero Gasperini's side trained this morning at Udinese's sports centre, as guests of the Bianconeri club. Players who featured the previous night completed a light recovery session, while the others did a more intense workout. Roma publicly thanked the Friulian club for its hospitality through a message on their social channels. The squad will travel to Trieste this afternoon and fly directly to Manchester without passing through Rome, a choice made to save energy and optimise timings in an increasingly congested calendar. Gasperini will hold his press conference tomorrow, followed by a training session on the Old Trafford pitch. Svilar, Koné and, barring a surprise, Dybala will all miss the trip to face Manchester United. Belgian goalkeeper Svilar is scheduled to return after the November international break, while there is greater hope for Koné and Dybala, the Argentine known as La Joya, ahead of the match against Sassuolo on 7 November. Timings are not yet certain, as Gasperini himself stressed after the Udine game, explaining that the week that has just begun will be decisive in assessing the condition of the injured players. Gasperini is considering several changes to the side that routed Udinese. Gianluca Mancini, who was on the bench on Friday, is set to return to the starting XI in defence. The main doubt concerns the number ten position, where Niccolò Pisilli could be preferred to Rodrigo Mora, who scored two goals in a row against Cagliari and Udinese. The switch would bring greater balance and intensity to a game that will also require close attention to defensive work. Soulé and Malen remain fixed starters, both having been substituted in the second half on Friday partly to conserve their energy. Roma go into the European fixture in the best form of the season, on the back of a run of convincing performances and a group that continues to respond despite heavy absences. Gasperini now seeks another test of maturity, this time on the Old Trafford stage, against a Manchester United side in difficulty but still dangerous because of the quality of their players.

Roma are bypassing a return to Rome after their 5-2 win over Udinese, opting instead for a mini training camp ahead of their Champions League clash with Manchester United at Old Trafford. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side spent the night in Udine and will hold a recovery session at the Friulian club's training ground this morning. In the afternoon the squad will travel by coach to Trieste, from where they will fly directly to Manchester. The arrangement is designed to help the players recover energy after the league fixture and prepare in the best possible conditions for Tuesday evening's game. The trip avoids unnecessary travel and means Roma arrive in England straight from Friuli, their second European away trip of the season. On the eve of the match, Gasperini is scheduled to hold a press conference at around 18:20, accompanied by a player. The squad will then train on the pitch at Old Trafford. Paulo Dybala's fitness remains a concern: Gasperini is still hoping to have the Argentine available, but unless he recovers in extremis, La Joya is expected to miss the trip to England. The aim is to build on the big win in Udine against one of Europe's most prestigious venues.

Roma travel to Old Trafford on Tuesday for their fourth league-phase Champions League match against Manchester United, kicking off at 21:00 on Tuesday 3 November. Gian Piero Gasperini's side arrive after a 4-0 win over Slovan Bratislava and have four points from their first three European games. Manchester United, managed by Michael Carrick, sit on three points after a home opening win over Sabah followed by defeats to Atletico Madrid and Como, the last of them a 4-1 loss at Como. Gasperini is expected to keep most of the side that has been settled in recent weeks. Gollini starts in goal, with Svilar not due back until after the international break. Mancini, who was rested at Udinese, is expected to return to the starting line-up alongside Ndicka and Hermoso. Molina and Wesley look ahead of Lulli and Rensch on the flanks. In midfield, Cristante and de Roon offer experience, physicality and balance in a game that will demand attention above all in transitions. The main doubt concerns the position behind the striker, where Mora, who scored against both Cagliari and Udinese, is competing with Pisilli. Soulé and Malen are confirmed; both were managed in the second half of the big win in Friuli with the European fixture in mind. Roma come into the match on a strong run. They beat Udinese 5-2 at the Bluenergy Stadium in the last Serie A round, with goals from Cristante, Mora, Malen and Ndicka, and Ghilardi scored his first league goal of the season in added time. That win lifted Roma to third place with 24 points. Before the trip to Udine they had won 4-2 against Cagliari, drawn 3-3 at Napoli and beaten Slovan Bratislava 4-0. In the Champions League they have collected four points from draws with Fenerbahce and a defeat to Real Madrid, plus the win over the Slovaks. Manchester United are in a much harder spell. On Saturday they lost 2-0 at Stamford Bridge to Chelsea, extending their run of matches without a win to nine. Their European campaign has also stalled. Mancini and Hermoso are the only Roma defenders named in the probable line-up, while United's probable side is built around Bruno Fernandes, with Lammens in goal, Dalot, Maguire, De Ligt and Lisandro Martinez in defence, and Baleba, Andrey Santos, Diallo and Cunha around him. Mbeumo leads the line. Carrick's side are without Ugarte, Šeško, Shaw and Dorgu, while Yoro is suspended. Rashford, Mazraoui and Amad Diallo are doubtful. Lisandro Martinez, sent off against Chelsea in the Premier League, can play in the Champions League because his suspension applies only to domestic competitions. Roma have no fit answer yet for four players. Svilar continues his recovery from a stress fracture to the fifth toe of his left foot, and his return has been put back until after the international break. Dybala will not be risked at Old Trafford after a small calf tear. Koné remains sidelined, and Pellegrini faces a longer absence because of the muscle injury he picked up against Slovan Bratislava. Gasperini can, however, count on Cristante, who is back available on a regular basis and again central to the midfield rotation. The probable Roma line-up is a 3-4-2-1, with a contest between Mancini and Balerdi and a call on Mora against Pisilli. Six official meetings have taken place between Manchester United and Roma in UEFA competitions. United have won four, Roma one, with one draw. Old Trafford brings back two painful nights for Roma: in April 2007 United won 7-1 in the second leg of the Champions League quarter-final, and in 2021 they won 6-2 in the first leg of the Europa League semi-final. In the other meeting at Manchester, in the 2007-08 Champions League, the hosts won 1-0. The match will be broadcast live on Sky Sport channels and streamed via Sky Go and NOW. Kick-off is at 21:00 on Tuesday 3 November at Old Trafford. Official line-ups are due about an hour before kick-off and will be updated live.

Roma have scored 28 goals in their first ten Serie A matches, a club record after the 5-2 win at Udinese, beating the previous high of 26. Five different players scored in the win, including two defenders, and the coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side have already turned their attention to the Champions League trip to Manchester United. Roma will not return to the capital. The squad will train in Udine and travel directly to England to prepare for the Champions League fixture at Old Trafford. Mancini could return to the starting line-up from the first minute, while Pisilli is pushing Mora for a place in the attacking midfield area. Svilar, Koné and probably Dybala remain unavailable, and there could be changes for the match against Sassuolo. Manchester United are in crisis, having taken nine matches without a win and collecting just seven points in the Premier League. Michael Carrick, who scored twice in the infamous 7-1 defeat of Roma in 2007, is under pressure, and Tuesday's game against the Giallorossi could be decisive for his future. The Spanish referee Gil Manzano will take charge of Manchester United against Roma on Tuesday evening. Roma drew 1-1 with Fenerbahçe under him, a game marked by refereeing controversy. Del Cerro Grande will be the VAR, with Fernandez as assistant. In Serie A, Lazio came from behind to beat Cagliari 2-1, with goals from Isaksen and Pinamonti, moving up to 28 points. Roma stay third on 24 points, behind Inter as well. Two penalty appeals were turned down at the Olimpico, fuelling debate. Frosinone beat Torino 2-0 in the other afternoon match. Como, coached by Fabregas, beat Venezia 1-0 with a Da Cunha penalty to move to 23 points, one behind Roma, after a spot-kick first awarded to the visitors was overturned by VAR for a handball by Milla. Udinese have sacked Runjaic after a disastrous start, leaving them second from bottom with five points from ten matches. Paolo Zanetti is the leading candidate to replace him, with contacts already under way.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have set a club record of 28 goals after their first 10 Serie A matches, and the coach's influence is being felt in more than the table. Roma have also gone 17 league games unbeaten, a run that began seven months ago, and have scored with 14 different players. The article credits Gasperini's method, which has made a difference since last season, with improving both the collective behaviour of the team and the development of individual players, young and experienced alike. The clearest evidence of that work, the article argues, comes when Roma are under pressure. Several key players have been missing for weeks: Svilar, Koné and Dybala are all regular starters, and Pellegrini is also absent. Cristante has returned after three matches out and was a major presence at Udine. Despite the lack of players of real quality, Gasperini has kept his idea of football intact, and the team has not lost the identity that marks every match he prepares. At Udine, Gasperini made changes during the game to keep his 3-4-2-1 system without abandoning it. In the closing stages he pushed Ghilardi wide on the right, asking him to finish the match against Udinese as a winger, and moved Molina up into the attacking midfield role behind Castro and in line with Pisilli. Mancini came on for Soulé, taking Ghilardi's place in defence, and Ghilardi's move into midfield pushed Molina further forward. The attack was therefore reshaped from the starting line-up, which had Malen alongside Soulé and Mora. The second-half moves also raise the question of January reinforcements. Given the seriousness of Pellegrini's injury, added to the absence of the out-and-out striker who did not arrive in the summer, the article says Roma would benefit from two more attacking midfielders to give greater choice up front. Pisilli and Molina, a midfielder and a wide player, ended up in those positions at Udine. Gasperini is therefore expected to wait for two signings at the start of 2027. In the meantime, the article notes he has been creative in dealing with the emergency, as he did last year when he dropped Cristante into defence, and in pre-season he played Hermoso in midfield.