Roma deliver four-goal statement in season opener

Roma travel to Como on Sunday at 12:30 for a top-of-the-table clash, with the Giallorossi level on points with Inter and Lazio at the summit. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has opted to hand a starting place to Portuguese midfielder Rodrigo Mora, class of 2007, in what appears a tactical gamble to break one of Roma's most stubborn curses: the club has not won at the Como ground overlooking Lake Como since 30 April 1989, when Manfredonia headed home at the second minute. Nearly 38 years have passed since that day. The three subsequent visits to Lario have all ended in defeat, most recently when Donyell Malen converted a seventh-minute penalty to put Roma ahead, only for Wesley's red card to leave the ten-men Giallorossi vulnerable to a Cesc Fabregas comeback. Gasperini tested new tactical solutions in a friendly against Sorianese (20-0), settling on a 3-4-1-2 shape designed to counter Fabregas's four-man defence and contain the opposing full-backs' central positioning. Mora, operating as a midfielder, offers the crucial link between midfield and attack through his quality in the final pass and the threat of distance shooting—both weapons aimed at unlocking Como's defensive block. Roma must also overturn a troubling pattern after international breaks: across the last two seasons, they have managed only two wins, one draw and five defeats in eight matches following national-team pauses. In the 2024-25 campaign, after drawing 1-1 at Genoa and losing 1-0 at home to both Inter and Napoli, Roma found victory only in spring under Claudio Ranieri with a 1-0 win at Lecce. Under Gasperini this season, home losses to Torino (0-1) and Inter (0-1) were sandwiched around a 3-1 victory over Cremonese, followed by a heavy 5-2 defeat at San Siro in April—a setback later overcome during the final push to third place and Champions League qualification.

Roma arrive at Como on Sunday 12 October for a Serie A fixture shadowed by one of their most stubborn taboos in Italian football. The Giallorossi have not won at the Sinigaglia since 30 April 1989, when Lionello Manfredonia's goal after two minutes sealed a 0–1 victory — a 37-year drought that requires context: Como spent long periods outside Serie A, and Roma have visited only twice since that day, losing 2–0 in December 2024 and 2–1 on 15 March 2026. A January 2003 encounter between the clubs, also a 2–0 Como win, was played on neutral ground at Piacenza's Garilli. Across 31 official meetings, Roma lead 16–8–7, but a striking pattern has emerged: none of the last ten Serie A clashes has ended in a draw, with Roma winning seven and Como three. The previous stalemate came on 18 January 1987, 0–0. Como's home record is particularly daunting — they have won their last three league matches at the Sinigaglia against Roma, scoring exactly two goals each time. Yet Roma enter the match on a remarkable run: they have won their last five away games in Serie A. A sixth consecutive away victory would be a rarity in the club's history; only once have Roma managed six or more consecutive away league wins, when they won 12 straight between February and November 2017. Roma's start to the 2026–27 season is also noteworthy — they have reached at least 13 points in their first five matches only five times in their history. A win at Como would take them to 16 points after six rounds, a tally reached only twice before: 18 points in 2013–14 and 16 in 1952–53. Both defences have been exceptional. Since last season began, Roma have conceded 34 goals and Como 35, the two best records in Serie A over that span; only Arsenal have done better across the five major European leagues, with 31 conceded. Offensively, neither team relies solely on defensive strength: Como have scored 74 goals and Roma 73 in the same period, making them the second and third-best attacks in Serie A behind Inter. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini stands at 299 Serie A victories; Sunday could deliver a landmark. Reaching 300 wins would make him only the fifth manager in the history of Italy's top flight to achieve that figure, after Giovanni Trapattoni, Massimiliano Allegri, Luciano Spalletti and Nereo Rocco. Donyell Malen has produced extraordinary numbers since his Roma debut in Serie A on 18 January 2026, scoring 20 goals in 23 appearances — more than any player in Europe's five major leagues in the same period; Harry Kane and Raphinha have 18. Among players with at least ten goals, Malen holds the best minutes-per-goal ratio in Serie A's three-points era: one goal every 91 minutes, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo at 104 and Ronaldo Nazário at 117. Roma's away form and attacking potency will be tested against Como's fortress at home and their own exceptional defensive record. The match kicks off at 12:30 on Sunday 12 October.

Roma return to the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday 13 October to face Real Madrid in a fixture charged with emotion both on and off the pitch. The match marks Mourinho's return to Rome and Roma's first Champions League home game in seven years. Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria at 13:30 on Tuesday 13 October. The team will train at 15:00, with the session open to media for the first 15 minutes. Real Madrid will conduct their morning session in Spain before arriving in Rome in the afternoon. Mourinho's press conference will take place at the Olimpico at 18:00.

Roma will play Como in the sixth Serie A matchday on Sunday at 12:30. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will hold a press conference tomorrow at 13:30 ahead of the fixture. Selection uncertainty surrounds Roma's attacking setup, with one player among Rodrigo Mora, Matías Soulé and Lorenzo Pellegrini set to support Paulo Dybala behind Donyell Malen.

Gian Piero Gasperini will address the media on 10 October at 13:30 at Trigoria ahead of Roma's fixture at Como's Sinigaglia stadium. The head coach will field questions on team selection and player fitness as Roma prepare for the match. Bryan Cristante is ruled out with a knee problem. In midfield, Rodrigo Mora is expected to start as the attacking midfielder behind the strike pairing of Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala. At the back, there remains competition between Leonardo Balerdi and Evan N'Dicka for a defensive place.

Roma face Como in a tactical battle between Fabregas and Gasperini, two coaches with contrasting philosophies seeking to dictate play. Gasperini is considering deploying Rodrigo Mora on the trequarti in support of Dybala and Malen, a move with both technical and tactical significance. Against Como's four-man defence, this setup would allow Mora to exploit space between the lines and combine quickly with two players whose strengths complement each other: Dybala's ability to read situations others miss and Malen's capacity to attack space immediately. Marten de Roon is expected to anchor midfield, providing equilibrium and tactical knowledge of Gasperini's systems crucial against Como's possession-based approach. Evan N'Dicka is favoured over Leonardo Balerdi in defence, with Nahuel Molina and Wesley operating on the flanks. The match's decisive factor may lie on the wings. Como build superiority through passing and draw pressure to free players in space; Roma counterpress through individual aggression and advanced recovery. The fullbacks will be fundamental, needing to support attacking play without leaving the corridors Como exploits. Molina and Wesley could prove decisive both in pressing and by forcing Como's wingers to defend, preventing Fabregas's side from developing their game with continuity. The sides have met twice previously in contrasting circumstances. At the Olimpico, Roma imposed themselves through intense pressing, with Wesley scoring the decisive goal. In the return fixture, a side lacking clear attacking reference points gradually lost shape and ceded initiative to Como. However, this Roma present different offensive possibilities. The presence of Malen, Dybala's talent and Mora's potential deployment offer Gasperini solutions capable of troubling a well-organised team like Fabregas's. Roma must start aggressively, press immediately and prevent Como from gaining confidence in their passing patterns.

Ivan Zazzaroni, director of Corriere dello Sport, has given an exclusive interview reflecting on recent meetings with key Roma figures. He revealed that when José Mourinho spoke about Roma, he became visibly emotional. "When he talked about it he got emotional… you could see it in his eyes, you understand that at Roma he found something important, a connection such that people understood it," Zazzaroni said. He also described encounters with Francesco Totti and Donyell Malen, noting that both told him "We had fun", while Malen made "a very good impression". Zazzaroni added that Mourinho's affection from Roma supporters is justified, and that visiting Madrid had shown him it was Mourinho's home—yet the connection Roma had forged with him ran deep. On Gian Piero Gasperini's appointment, Zazzaroni stated that the coach came to Roma specifically to win the Serie A title. "When he was still at Bergamo and was about to transfer to Roma he confessed his intention to me not to warm the bench or play beautiful football but to win the championship in three years," he explained. Zazzaroni acknowledged that Roma's squad is not yet complete and that Inter have an edge, but suggested that nothing is certain if Roma continue on their current trajectory. Zazzaroni also addressed the Friedkin Group's decision not to pursue the Everton acquisition, calling it good news for Roma given the club's important stadium construction project. He expressed concern about Premier League spending, suggesting clubs "have circulated money that doesn't exist."

Ivan Zazzaroni, editor of Corriere dello Sport, discussed his recent interviews with Francesco Totti, José Mourinho and Donyell Malen during an appearance on Retesport. He praised the Friedkin Group's decision to step back from Everton involvement, saying it is good news because they retain Roma and have an important project for stadium construction. Zazzaroni expressed confidence that Premier League clubs will face difficulties having circulated money they do not possess. Zazzaroni reflected on his meetings with the three figures. Totti and Malen both told him "We had fun", though Totti was notably intimate in tone. Of Mourinho, Zazzaroni recalled embracing him at Real Madrid's training ground, which he described as "his kingdom". Mourinho gifted him a tracksuit. Zazzaroni and Mourinho share the same birthday; in the past Mourinho has arrived at their birthday dinner with a gift, and once brought a bottle of wine from 1963, his birth year. Speaking of Mourinho's connection to Roma, Zazzaroni said: "When he spoke about it he got emotional. You could see it in his eyes. He found something important at Roma, a connection so strong that people understood it." On Gian Piero Gasperini's appointment, Zazzaroni stated: "Gasperini came here to win the Serie A title." He revealed that when Gasperini was still at Bergamo and preparing to move to Roma, he confessed his intention "not to warm the bench or play nice football but to win the championship in three years". Zazzaroni acknowledged the Roma squad is not complete and Inter have something more, "but continuing like this, you never know".

Roma travel to Como on Sunday at 12:30 for a top-of-the-table clash, with the Giallorossi level on points with Inter and Lazio at the summit. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has opted to hand a starting place to Portuguese midfielder Rodrigo Mora, class of 2007, in what appears a tactical gamble to break one of Roma's most stubborn curses: the club has not won at the Como ground overlooking Lake Como since 30 April 1989, when Manfredonia headed home at the second minute. Nearly 38 years have passed since that day. The three subsequent visits to Lario have all ended in defeat, most recently when Donyell Malen converted a seventh-minute penalty to put Roma ahead, only for Wesley's red card to leave the ten-men Giallorossi vulnerable to a Cesc Fabregas comeback. Gasperini tested new tactical solutions in a friendly against Sorianese (20-0), settling on a 3-4-1-2 shape designed to counter Fabregas's four-man defence and contain the opposing full-backs' central positioning. Mora, operating as a midfielder, offers the crucial link between midfield and attack through his quality in the final pass and the threat of distance shooting—both weapons aimed at unlocking Como's defensive block. Roma must also overturn a troubling pattern after international breaks: across the last two seasons, they have managed only two wins, one draw and five defeats in eight matches following national-team pauses. In the 2024-25 campaign, after drawing 1-1 at Genoa and losing 1-0 at home to both Inter and Napoli, Roma found victory only in spring under Claudio Ranieri with a 1-0 win at Lecce. Under Gasperini this season, home losses to Torino (0-1) and Inter (0-1) were sandwiched around a 3-1 victory over Cremonese, followed by a heavy 5-2 defeat at San Siro in April—a setback later overcome during the final push to third place and Champions League qualification.

Roma are close to securing a contract renewal with Emanuele Lulli after the defender emerged as a standout performer in the club's opening weeks of the 2026-27 season. Lulli impressed Gasperini during a pre-season friendly against Dortmund in mid-August, confirming his credentials for the campaign ahead. The club is now moving to tie down his future. With Lulli's contract set to expire in 2027, Roma's management and the player's representatives are in final negotiations. The proposed deal would extend his terms until 2031 on a salary of €500,000 annually, with performance bonuses to increase the package further.

Roma radio pundits debated the squad and tactics ahead of the Como match on a programme featuring Ugo Trani, Francesco Balzani, Simone Valdarchi, Roberto Pruzzo and Mario Mattioli. The discussion ranged from ownership prospects to midfield selection and the tactical approach Gasperini will adopt. Trani raised the prospect of the Friedkin Group selling Roma in future, noting their acquisition of Everton and other global assets. He argued that the owners made an "all-in" decision by keeping Koné and Svilar this summer and are now trying to strengthen the squad to win silverware and raise its value before a potential sale after the new stadium is built. He contrasted this with José Mourinho's recent interview, saying the former manager showed more attachment to Roma than the owners themselves do. Trani expected strong rotation against Genoa, with Wesley, Molina, Lulli and Rensch all on alert, and suggested Mora is ahead of Pellegrini in the manager's thinking for the Como fixture. Balzani agreed that the Everton sale signals the Friedkin Group's strategic pivot, though he noted they could remain Roma's owners until 2030–32 at minimum. He suggested Mora could be tactically decisive against Como and their four-man defence. Valdarchi cautioned that Pellegrini's potential benching would not signal a defensive approach from Gasperini, but rather reflect the manager's assessment of which midfielder could press Como's build-up play more effectively. Pruzzo highlighted how the long international break creates uncertainty and stressed the importance of extending Roma's lead over Como. Mattioli voiced confidence in the squad's form: "I don't understand the doubts about de Roon. He is an inexhaustible engine in midfield." He praised the giallorossi's momentum and noted that Como, while strong, lack the experience Roma possess.

Roma recorded the lowest minute tally among Serie A's top sides during the latest international break, accumulating 1,204 minutes across their squad members on national duty. AC Milan led the ranking with 2,625 minutes, followed by Inter on 2,352 and Napoli on 2,094. Roma's relatively modest figure reflects fewer players being called up for the four matches played by their national teams during this fixture congestion period. Rodrígo Mora topped Roma's minutes register for Portugal Under-21 with 225, ahead of Evan N'Dicka (Ivory Coast) on 187 and Gianluca Mancini (Italy) with 180. Niccolò Pisilli matched Mancini's total for Italy Under-21, while Manu Koné accumulated 152 minutes for France. The minutes spread unevenly across the squad: Konstantinos Koulierakis (Greece) played 90 minutes, Leonardo Balerdi (Argentina) 79, Matías Soulé (Argentina) 45, and Emanuele Lulli (Italy Under-21) 45. Santiago Castro (Argentina) featured for just 21 minutes, while Daniele Ghilardi (Italy) and Giorgio De Marzi (Italy youth) saw no action. In the broader Serie A comparison, Juventus recorded 1,772 minutes with Como on 1,587 and Lazio on 1,232. Among the top three, Milan's total was driven by players such as Jashari (Switzerland, 295 minutes), Pavlovic (Serbia, 275) and Ramos (Portugal, 275). Inter's Akanji (Switzerland) and Napoli's Lobotka (Slovakia) each played the maximum 360 minutes across their respective nations' campaigns. The international window has added significant load to players' schedules as calendars become increasingly congested with fixtures.