Roma host Slovan Bratislava in Champions League after Genoa win

Roma host Slovan Bratislava at the Stadio Olimpico in the UEFA Champions League tomorrow, with kick-off at 21:00. Gian Piero Gasperini has named Leonardo Balerdi in the starting line-up, which is set out as Gollini; Mancini, Balerdi, Hermoso; Lulli, de Roon, Pisilli, Wesley; Soulé, Pellegrini; Malen. The headline also flags a race between Lulli and Molina for a place in the side. Roma come into the match after a dramatic defeat to Real Madrid, and they must now bounce back in the Champions League. Their most recent result came in Serie A, where they beat Genoa. The Olimpico fixture is a more manageable test: Slovan Bratislava are coached by Yaya Touré, and the match is the third matchday of the Champions League league phase. Slovan are set to line up in a 4-2-3-1 formation: Takac; Blackman, Bajnc, Markovic, Sandro Cruz; Pokorny, Mustafic; Barseghyan, Martinez, Camara; Griger. Gasperini will be without several regular starters, including Dybala, Koné and Svilar. He does receive a significant boost with the return of Bryan Cristante, who has recovered from a knee problem and is available, at least for the bench, ready to contribute if needed. Alessandro Di Nunzio is also in the squad, and Gasperini has confirmed him after his Serie A debut. The head-to-head record is short. Roma are meeting Slovan Bratislava for the first time in 15 years, since the only previous meeting, a 2011/12 Europa League play-off in which the Slovaks won 1-0 away and drew 1-1 at the Olimpico to eliminate the Giallorossi. Across all their meetings with Slovak sides, Roma have one win, two draws and one defeat. Their only 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 just one of their five away matches in Italy, with one draw and three defeats. Roma also have the home advantage on their side, having won eight of their last ten Champions League home matches. The match is broadcast live and exclusively on Sky. Viewers need a Sky subscription, and the game will be shown on channels 201, 214 and 251, namely Sky Sport Uno, Sky Sport 4K for televisions that support 4K resolution, and Sky Sport. Streaming is available through SkyGo and Now Tv, and through devices such as Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and the TIM VISION Box. Fans can also follow the match through the live coverage on Forzaroma.info and on Roma's Instagram, Twitter and Facebook accounts.

Roma's Primavera side beat Slovan Bratislava 5-0 at the Tre Fontane in the third matchday of the UEFA Youth League, bouncing back immediately from their league defeat to Torino. Paratici scored a hat-trick in the second half, with Arena providing two assists before scoring the final goal himself. Coach Mattia Scala's side dominated the game from the start, although Slovan initially managed to contain the Giallorossi pressure. The opening goal came in the 35th minute. Arena sent Camara through on the counter-attack, and Camara opened his body and finished past Gramblička to make it 1-0 at half-time. The match changed completely after the restart with the introduction of Paratici, who came on in the 56th minute in place of Camara. He needed just five minutes to make his mark, as Arena played him through again and he took the ball into the area and beat the Slovak goalkeeper. Slovan collapsed in the closing stages and Roma ran riot. In the 79th minute Paratici was quickest to react to a loose ball in the area after a shot from Terlizzi and made it 3-0. Six minutes later, from a corner taken by Cama, the young striker rose alone and completed his personal hat-trick. In the 87th minute Arena added the definitive 5-0, having already been involved with two assists, completing a practically perfect afternoon for Scala's team. The result was a wide and convincing victory, built once again through the academy players of the Giallorossi youth sector. Sporting director Tony D'Amico, CEO John Galantic and youth sector manager Massimo Margiotta were in the stands, and Paratici, Arena and their team-mates sent an important message to the first team as well, at a time when Gasperini continues to open the doors wider to the young players of Trigoria.

Roma's Youth League side beat Slovan Bratislava convincingly at the Tre Fontane before the first-team fixture against the same opponents later on Monday evening. Camara opened the scoring in the 35th minute, and after the break Lorenzo Paratici, who came on during the game, scored a hat-trick that decided the match. Arena completed the win with a goal in the closing minutes. The result was Scala's Primavera side's second victory in three matches, following an opening win over Fenerbahce and a narrow defeat to Real Madrid. The win came with several senior Roma figures in attendance. CEO John Galantic and sporting director Tony D'Amico were in the stands at the Tre Fontane, alongside Margiotta, the club's youth sector manager, and Frara, the club's Loan Manager. The Youth League match is played before the senior fixture as usual, and the Primavera result gives the club's young players a timely boost. The presence of the CEO and sporting director underlines the club's interest in the development of its academy squad.

Bryan Cristante is back in the Roma squad for Thursday's home clash with Slovan Bratislava, Gian Piero Gasperini's team news boost on the eve of the Champions League League Phase third matchday. The midfielder had missed the last few matches with physical problems, and his return gives Gasperini an important alternative in a department already without the injured Manu Koné. The call-up also includes Di Nunzio, who has been added to the group at a time when the emergency is forcing Gasperini to widen his rotations. Paulo Dybala remains out, sidelined by a lesion revealed by the latest tests, along with Koné. Cristante's return is therefore the main development ahead of tonight's fixture at the Olimpico, with Gasperini regaining an important option at the most delicate moment of the midfield crisis. The full squad list is as follows. Goalkeepers: Vasquez, De Marzi, Gollini. Defenders: Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli, Ghilardi. Midfielders: Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Mora. Forwards: Castro, Malen, Soulé.

Roma have named their squad for tonight's Champions League clash with Slovan Bratislava at the Stadio Olimpico, and Bryan Cristante is back in contention for Gian Piero Gasperini. The club confirmed the list in an official statement published on its website. Cristante returns after a knee problem that forced him to miss around 20 days. Cristante's availability is good news for Gasperini ahead of a European night in Rome. Alessandro Di Nunzio is also included in the squad. Having made his Serie A debut, he now gets a fresh opportunity to show what he can do in European competition. The full squad is as follows. Goalkeepers: Vasquez, De Marzi, Gollini. Defenders: Rensch, Koulierakis, Ndicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli, Ghilardi. Midfielders: Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio, Mora. Forwards: Castro, Malen, Soulé.

Roma host Slovan Bratislava tonight at 21:00 at the Stadio Olimpico in the third matchday of the Champions League league phase, and Bryan Cristante is back in Gian Piero Gasperini's squad. The midfielder had been out of the last few matches with a knee problem. His return gives Roma an extra option in midfield during a period of closely spaced fixtures. The match comes after Roma's defeat to Real Madrid, and Gasperini's side are looking to collect important points on their European campaign. Paulo Dybala is not in the squad. Gasperini confirmed at the eve-of-match press conference that the Argentine has a small muscle tear, and his recovery will take another couple of weeks. Manu Koné is also absent and does not feature in the list of players available for the European fixture. Mile Svilar is missing with a foot injury. The full squad list names Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi in defence. The midfield selection is Cristante, Pellegrini, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora. Alessandro Di Nunzio is a young midfielder from the youth sector, and he was also called up for the league match against Genoa. Pierluigi Gollini, Devis Vásquez and De Marzi are the goalkeepers. In attack, Gasperini can call on Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Santiago Castro to lead the line. More than 60,000 fans are expected at the Olimpico for the game.