Roma depart for Istanbul to begin Champions League group phase

Roma scouts were among those watching Porto against PSV Eindhoven at the Estádio do Dragão in the Champions League, as the club keeps working ahead of the January transfer window to strengthen Gian Piero Gasperini's squad. Sporting director D'Amico is looking for talent to complete the attack and the wide areas, where a left-sided midfield winger is still missing. Scouts from Everton, Manchester United, Brentford and Nottingham Forest were also present, according to English outlet Sport Witness. Many talents featured for PSV as well as for Porto, who are coached by Farioli. Among the possible targets Roma are monitoring is Sven Mijnans, an attacking midfielder born in 2000 who had already been followed in the summer. Also on the list is Bajraktarević, a Bosnian left-sided winger born in 2005. Roma will keep working on these ideas in the coming weeks, as a side that has made a top start still needs reinforcements. Porto's young standouts also drew attention. Oscar Pietuszewski, a right-footed winger born in 2008, is very young. Alberto Costa, a 23-year-old full-back, was close to joining Roma in January 2025.

Roma's defence has been named in the Sofascore Team of the Week for the latest Champions League round, with Mario Hermoso, Leonardo Balerdi and Daniele Ghilardi all selected and dominating the back line of the ideal side. The trio's performance earned the recognition after they kept a clean sheet against Slovan Bratislava, the club's first clean sheet in Europe this season, and gave nothing away to Yaya Touré's side. The spotlight on the defence comes as Roma prepare for a big match against Napoli, with the squad continuing its work at Trigoria. The back line has been one of the strengths of the start to the campaign, conceding just three goals in the first seven Serie A matches. The Italian report adds that the award reflects the solid form of a unit that has been central to Roma's strong start, with the three defenders combining for a shutout that underlined the club's improved resilience at the back. Roma are next in action against Napoli, with the squad focused on maintaining that defensive record.

Roma's central defenders Hermoso, Balerdi and Ghilardi have been named in Sofascore's Team of the Week for the latest Champions League round, after a performance that kept Slovan Bratislava out completely. The three Roma defenders gave away nothing to the side coached by Yaya Touré. Roma have conceded only three goals in their first seven Serie A matches, a record built on a back line that is growing more solid despite the absence of several players who were fundamental in recent years. The arrivals of Balerdi and Koulierakis, and the continued development of Ghilardi, have given Gasperini the option to rest two first-team regulars, Ndicka and Mancini. Sofascore's selection was described as deserved. The Team of the Week's defence, drawn from the best side in the League Phase, was dominated by Gasperini's Roma backline. The selection also includes attackers Doué, Nico Paz, Foden and Ngumoha from the wider group of top clubs in the competition.

Roma head to Naples for a Serie A eighth-round clash with Napoli, coached by Max Allegri, with Gian Piero Gasperini facing a single selection question over who will partner Matías Soulé and Donyell Malen up front. Bryan Cristante is ahead in the race, while Rodrigo Mora is expected to start on the bench. Gasperini has already set the tone, saying: "Non svegliateci" ("Don't wake us up"), as his side look to build on a superb start to the league campaign and show they are not ready to slow down. Roma have made a strong start to the season, and the Napoli fixture is a major test that will say much about the club's real ambitions. Lulli returns on the right side of the defence, with Molina among the substitutes. Behind Gollini, the established back three of Ndicka, Mancini and Hermoso is set to start. Gasperini will be without several players, including Svilar, Koné, Pellegrini and Dybala, but has two important returns in Cristante, who was already called up for the Slovan Bratislava match on Tuesday evening, and Malen, who has served his league suspension. Both are expected to start from the first minute at the Maradona. Napoli are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 with Milinkovic-Savic in goal, Di Lorenzo, Badiashile, Marín and Olivera in defence, Anguissa, De Bruyne and McTominay in midfield, and Politano, Hojlund and Lang in attack. Roma are set to play a 3-4-1-2 with Gollini; Mancini, Ndicka and Hermoso; Lulli, de Roon, Pisilli and Wesley; Cristante; and Soulé and Malen. Among the substitutes are Vásquez, De Marzi, Rensch, Koulierakis, Molina, Balerdi, Ghilardi, Di Nunzio, Mora, Castro and Camara. The match, valid for the eighth round of Serie A EniLive, kicks off at 18:00 and is broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN. Viewers will need a DAZN subscription and can access the match through a smart TV app, or on consoles such as Xbox or PlayStation. Alternatively, it can be watched on devices including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and TIM VISION Box. Live coverage is also available through Forzaroma.info's Cronaca Live and its social media channels on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The Slovan Bratislava meeting in Europe is a fixture Roma have not faced for 15 years, since their only previous meeting, in the 2011/12 Europa League play-off, when the Slovaks won 1-0 away and drew 1-1 at the Olimpico to eliminate the giallorossi. Roma's record against Slovak sides reads one win, two draws and one defeat. Their sole victory came in 2009, when they beat Košice 7-1 at the Olimpico in the Europa League qualifiers after a 3-3 draw in the first leg. Slovan Bratislava have won only one of their five away matches in Italy, drawing one and losing three. Roma are also counting on the Olimpico, having won eight of their last ten home Champions League matches.

Manu Koné is getting closer to a return to action for Roma, with his recovery progressing well ahead of the club's trip to Napoli. The midfielder has been sidelined since the Champions League match against Real Madrid on 14 October, when he suffered a muscle injury. He was found to have a first-degree tear of the right hamstring. Roma are short on numbers for the difficult trip to the Maradona, and Gian Piero Gasperini's side are also dealing with a squad reduced to the bare minimum. In the infirmary, there is also encouraging news about Paulo Dybala, who is pushing to speed up his own timetable and is aiming to return already on Tuesday against Cagliari. Koné is expected to be available again between the Champions League match against Manchester United on 3 November and the Serie A fixture against Sassuolo the following weekend. That timeline points to his return coming at the start of November, when Roma face a demanding run of fixtures. Il Messaggero reports in today's edition that Koné is increasingly close to a comeback, and the French midfielder's return is now a step away. Roma will be hoping that the 3 November Champions League tie against Manchester United and the Sassuolo game give Gasperini a fully fit midfielder to call on once again.

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.

Roma head to Naples for a Serie A eighth-round clash with Napoli, coached by Max Allegri, with Gian Piero Gasperini facing a single selection question over who will partner Matías Soulé and Donyell Malen up front. Bryan Cristante is ahead in the race, while Rodrigo Mora is expected to start on the bench. Gasperini has already set the tone, saying: "Non svegliateci" ("Don't wake us up"), as his side look to build on a superb start to the league campaign and show they are not ready to slow down. Roma have made a strong start to the season, and the Napoli fixture is a major test that will say much about the club's real ambitions. Lulli returns on the right side of the defence, with Molina among the substitutes. Behind Gollini, the established back three of Ndicka, Mancini and Hermoso is set to start. Gasperini will be without several players, including Svilar, Koné, Pellegrini and Dybala, but has two important returns in Cristante, who was already called up for the Slovan Bratislava match on Tuesday evening, and Malen, who has served his league suspension. Both are expected to start from the first minute at the Maradona. Napoli are expected to line up in a 4-3-3 with Milinkovic-Savic in goal, Di Lorenzo, Badiashile, Marín and Olivera in defence, Anguissa, De Bruyne and McTominay in midfield, and Politano, Hojlund and Lang in attack. Roma are set to play a 3-4-1-2 with Gollini; Mancini, Ndicka and Hermoso; Lulli, de Roon, Pisilli and Wesley; Cristante; and Soulé and Malen. Among the substitutes are Vásquez, De Marzi, Rensch, Koulierakis, Molina, Balerdi, Ghilardi, Di Nunzio, Mora, Castro and Camara. The match, valid for the eighth round of Serie A EniLive, kicks off at 18:00 and is broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN. Viewers will need a DAZN subscription and can access the match through a smart TV app, or on consoles such as Xbox or PlayStation. Alternatively, it can be watched on devices including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and TIM VISION Box. Live coverage is also available through Forzaroma.info's Cronaca Live and its social media channels on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook. The Slovan Bratislava meeting in Europe is a fixture Roma have not faced for 15 years, since their only previous meeting, in the 2011/12 Europa League play-off, when the Slovaks won 1-0 away and drew 1-1 at the Olimpico to eliminate the giallorossi. Roma's record against Slovak sides reads one win, two draws and one defeat. Their sole victory came in 2009, when they beat Košice 7-1 at the Olimpico in the Europa League qualifiers after a 3-3 draw in the first leg. Slovan Bratislava have won only one of their five away matches in Italy, drawing one and losing three. Roma are also counting on the Olimpico, having won eight of their last ten home Champions League matches.

Roma's electric start to the season has drawn praise from every quarter, and former coach Stramaccioni has singled out Donyell Malen, comparing the Dutch forward's movement to that of Andriy Shevchenko. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport, Stramaccioni, now a pundit, said: "He is impressive, increasingly in tune with the verticality of Roma's final pass. His half-moon run to get free, the first oriented touch and the speed with which he does it remind me, with the due comparisons, of the movements Shevchenko loved to make." Roma have played with flair, scoring and convincing, and have shown no obvious weak spots. Their only slip came against Real Madrid, and they have won every game since. Stramaccioni also highlighted Roma's defensive solidity, noting that the side have scored with 11 different players. "Gasperini's team 'defends by attacking'. It has the best defence and the best goal difference in Serie A," he said. Now comes a tough test, as Napoli visit the Stadio Olimpico. Stramaccioni warned that Roma will face a wounded side: "They will find a team that is hurt, that cannot afford to lose again, and will play to the death in front of their very hot home crowd." He views limiting Lobotka and De Bruyne, denying Napoli time and space in build-up, and exploiting chances to counter vertically as the key to the game. For Stramaccioni, Roma's advantage lies in the work done under Gasperini, which has brought "more certainty and enthusiasm". Yet he believes a further step is needed to stay at the top. "Roma is a group full of enthusiasm that has plenty of certainty, but to stay up there it must win matches like this one."

Gian Piero Gasperini takes Roma to the Maradona on Napoli-Roma, a fixture the article describes as never ordinary, with the Roma boss dealing with a real injury emergency. He is also keen to break several long-running head-to-head tabs against Massimiliano Allegri. One player Gasperini can count on is Donyell Malen, who returned on Tuesday against Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League but was suspended for last weekend's league match against Genoa. For Napoli, the attacking burden falls on Rasmus Hojlund, a former pupil of Gasperini. Gasperini coached Hojlund at Atalanta in 2022-23, the season the Danish striker broke through by terrorising defences with his physical runs and his aggressive movement into space. After a campaign with 34 appearances, 10 goals and 4 assists, Hojlund was sold to Manchester United for a total cost of 85 million. Expectations rose sharply with that fee, and they were not met in England. He then returned to Italy, joining Napoli with the aim of rediscovering his best form after several seasons with more shadows than lights at Old Trafford. Today he is Napoli's main offensive reference point and the first threat Roma's defence must handle. Napoli supporters, however, have been critical of his performances and of the team's style under Allegri. The last meeting at the Maradona, a 2-2 draw in February, did not show Hojlund at his best. Malen took centre stage instead. He opened the scoring after 7 minutes from an assist by Zaragoza, and restored Roma's lead from the penalty spot in the 71st minute. Malen, nicknamed Bobby, wants to repeat that performance in Fuorigrotta, where he could have been playing little more than a year ago. As Il Mattino revealed, Napoli targeted the Dutch forward last January, but the interest never developed into a concrete offer. Gasperini's call, Malen's impact in Rome and the love of the Roma fans have since made the story a Giallorossi one.