Roma fans' guide to Manchester United trip at Old Trafford

Roma travel to Manchester United tomorrow evening for the fourth matchday of the Champions League league phase, with kick-off at 21:00 Italian time. Gasperini's side will look to build on their win over Slovan Bratislava and collect points that are vital to their qualification hopes. The club has issued key information for travelling Giallorossi supporters following the game at Old Trafford. The away section is in the south-east corner of the stadium and includes sectors S229 (entrance S22) and E230, E231, E232 and E233 (entrances E30 and AE8). Ticket holders for sector S229 may only enter through entrance S22, and requests to move to sectors E230 to E233 will not be possible. Sector allocation was made randomly according to the order in which tickets were purchased. Fans may enter the stadium from two hours before kick-off and will be subject to security checks on arrival. Bags larger than an A4 sheet of paper are not permitted. Entry to the away section will not be allowed under any circumstances for those holding tickets for other sections of the stadium. On the instruction of the local authorities, the meeting point for all Roma fans is Shambles Square (Shambles Square, Cathedral Gates, Manchester, M3 1SW). From there, supporters can walk to the stadium in about 45 minutes. From 17:00 on matchday, fans may march to Old Trafford in a group. The walking route will be closely monitored by the local authorities. Those wishing to travel to the stadium independently or by public transport are advised to arrive by 18:00 to ease entry procedures and avoid queues at the turnstiles. Every fan must make sure they have downloaded their ticket before arriving at the stadium.

Former Milan and Fiorentina coach Stefano Pioli has revealed that Roma contacted him during September 2024, when the Giallorossi were searching for a replacement for Daniele De Rossi. Speaking on Sky Calcio Club, Pioli said he was approached by the Roman club but had already given his word to Al-Nassr. The approach came as Roma looked for a successor to De Rossi, who had been dismissed as head coach after four matches in 2025. Pioli's comments shed light on the club's search at that time, although he was already committed elsewhere when Roma made their move. Pioli said: "There were moments when everyone called me. Roma too, but the Al-Nassr contract had just arrived and I could not fail to respect the word I had given."

Stefano Pioli has confirmed that Roma contacted him in the days after Daniele De Rossi was dismissed, but he turned the club down because he had already agreed to join Al-Nassr. Speaking on Sky Calcio Club after Juventus-Napoli, the former Milan boss revealed the behind-the-scenes detail more than two years on from the approach. Roma parted company with De Rossi on 18 September 2024 and considered several candidates before appointing Ivan Juric. Pioli, who had come off a long spell at Milan that ended with the 2021/22 Scudetto, was among those on the list. He had already reached an agreement with the Saudi club and decided to honour that commitment, which removed him from the race for the Giallorossi job. Pioli said: "There have been moments when everyone has called me. Roma too, but my Al-Nassr contract had just arrived and I could not not respect the word I had given." He also revealed he had come close to the Italy national team job: "I came close to it, not for very long. In our careers we are the sons of all the choices we make. Some go well, others don't."