Roma debut third kit at Napoli, recalling their 2018 win at the Maradona

Roma debut their black third kit of the 2026-27 season today when they travel to face Napoli at the Maradona in the eighth round of Serie A, with kickoff at 18:00. The club announced the change on its social channels, marking the first time this season the team will take the field in the black shirt. Fans have pointed to a precedent in the comments on the club's video. Roma last wore black at the Maradona on 3 March 2018, when they won 2-4 at Napoli. Back then, the giallorossi in black were led by a Dzeko brace, with further goals from Under and Perotti. The night is remembered as a magical one, and it was also the last Roma win in the Neapolitan city. For Roma, the choice of kit and the memory of that 2018 result add a note of optimism to a big-match trip. The contest is the headline fixture of the round and a chance to return to winning ways on the road against one of Serie A's most difficult venues.

Roma will rely on Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora to supply creativity in the attacking third for the big match at the Maradona against Napoli, with Paulo Dybala still sidelined. Soulé has already scored two goals and provided an assist so far this season. Mora, a 19-year-old Portuguese midfielder who arrived for a significant investment, has shown flashes of quality interspersed with some quieter spells, and this fixture represents his first real test of maturity. Their main job will be to play in Donyell Malen, who returns from suspension and remains, in the words of the report, the true talisman of Gasperini's Roma. The Dutch forward goes back to the stadium where, a year ago, he scored a memorable double. Gasperini hopes to have Bryan Cristante available from the start. If he is fit, Cristante could partner Marten de Roon in midfield, allowing Niccolò Pisilli to push forward into the attacking third alongside Soulé. At the back, the starting trio of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso is set to reform. On the flanks, Wesley is confirmed at left-back, while Emanuele Lulli is the favourite to start ahead of Nahuel Molina on the right. The absence of Dybala and the return of Malen give Gasperini a clear shape to work with, but the match will also show how far Soulé and Mora can carry the attacking load on the road to one of the toughest venues in Serie A.

Andrea Stramaccioni previewed Napoli against Roma, highlighting the current mood at the Giallorossi and the demands of the fixture. Speaking about the side's position in the table, he said: "La Roma è un gruppo pieno di entusiasmo che di certezze ne ha molte, ma per stare lassù deve vincere partite come questa" ("Roma is a group full of enthusiasm that has plenty of certainties, but to stay up there it must win matches like this one"). Stramaccioni reserved special praise for Donyell Malen. He said: "La sua mezzaluna di smarcamento, il primo controllo orientato e la velocità mi ricordano, con i debiti paragoni, i movimenti di Shevchenko" ("His crescent-shaped run to get free, his first touch taken on the turn and his pace remind me, with the due comparisons, of the movements of Shevchenko"). On the key to the match, he added: "Saranno dieci duelli delicati. Il controllo passerà dal centrocampo e occhio alle transizioni" ("There will be ten delicate duels. Control will pass through midfield and we must watch out for the transitions"). The fixture also pits two very different ownership models against each other. Aurelio De Laurentiis has built Napoli around self-sufficiency, while Dan Friedkin has backed Roma directly with huge investment. According to the report, Friedkin is said to have spent a total of 1.06 billion euros from summer 2020 to December 2025, of which 824 million went towards running the club. Forbes puts Friedkin's personal fortune at 12.8 billion dollars. Roma's accounts remain in loss, although the deficit has been progressively reduced in recent financial years.