Roma name Champions League squad for Istanbul trip; Salah-Eddine and Vasquez excluded

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.

Robinio Vaz's injury scare has eased, with the Roma loanee back in training after tests ruled out significant damage, while Neil El Aynaoui endured a bruising week in Europe and Bundesliga. Vaz, on loan at Hull City, came on in the 68th minute of their Premier League trip to Fulham, a 1-0 defeat decided by a goal from Iwobi. In stoppage time, at the 94th minute, he was hit hard by Ryan Sessegnon in the Achilles area. Sessegnon was sent off with a straight red card, and Vaz had to leave the pitch accompanied by medical staff. Initial impressions were worrying, but the subsequent checks were far more reassuring: the MRI scan showed no significant injury and Vaz returned to training on Tuesday 20 October. He recorded no goals or assists in the minutes he played against Fulham. Whether he will be available for the next game against Brentford remains to be confirmed. El Aynaoui, on loan at RB Leipzig, played three matches in a few days with mixed results. Leipzig beat PSV Eindhoven 1-0 in the Champions League thanks to a goal from Gruda, and El Aynaoui started and played the full 90 minutes. The Moroccan midfielder then started the Bundesliga trip to Bayern Munich, who thrashed Leipzig 6-1. He stayed on the pitch from start to finish but could not turn the game, which Bayern dominated. On 21 October Leipzig suffered another European defeat, losing 4-1 at the Bernabéu to Real Madrid. El Aynaoui again started alongside Seiwald but was replaced in the 63rd minute by Rocco Reitz, with Leipzig already two goals down. He recorded no goals or assists across the three matches, but he logged significant minutes that confirm his place in Demichelis's rotation. The heavy defeats to Bayern and Real Madrid left the team with a very negative overall record. Anass Salah-Eddine, on loan at Panathinaikos, is showing encouraging signs as the Moroccan wing-back fights for a place in the Greek side. He was not in the squad for the 2-1 win over Borac Banja Luka in the first matchday of the Conference League League Phase on 15 October. Three days later he started and played all 90 minutes of a comprehensive 5-1 league win over Asteras Tripolis. In the 47th minute he surged down the left flank and delivered a precise ball to Taborda, whose header was cleared off the line by Papakanellos. It was a good move that could have brought an assist but did not appear on the scoresheet. Salah-Eddine recorded no goal, official assist or card, but gave positive indications of his ability to support the attack. Panathinaikos return to Conference League action today against Kairat Almaty. Filippo Reale continues his good form at Carrarese, where he is increasingly picked by Guido Pagliuca. The centre-back, born in 2006, started and played the full 90 minutes in Carrarese's 2-1 home win over Modena, with goals from Abiuso and Rubino before Belotti replied for the visitors. He helped protect the lead in the closing stages as part of the back three. The most unusual moment came in the 96th minute, when Reale embarked on a long run from his own half, covered the entire left flank and shot into the box, only to send his diagonal effort wide. Carrarese have now won consecutive matches. Radoslaw Zelezny was also impressive for Perugia, starting in their 5-1 win at Campobasso. He played the entire game and conceded only Stoppa's equaliser in the 35th minute, before Perugia pulled clear in the second half. He was not held responsible for the goal, and SportPerugia gave him a 6 for his precise handling and his lack of blame. Marco Litti came off the bench for Lecco in their 5-0 win over Pro Vercelli, replacing Manetti in the 59th minute, when Manetti had scored the goal that made it 3-0. Litti took up position on the flank and helped manage the lead over the final half hour. He recorded no goal, assist or booking. Mohamed Seck, meanwhile, remains in a difficult spell with Foggia, who lost 3-1 at Giugliano in the Monday 19 October fixture. Seck was named in the back three by Gaetano Auteri and played the full game. Ravasio gave Foggia the lead in the 16th minute, but Baldé and De Rosa turned the match around before the break, and Esposito added the final goal after the restart. Seck was booked in the 21st minute. Foggia have conceded six goals in their last two league games. Luigi Cherubini, on loan at Benevento, was on the bench for their 2-2 home draw with Vicenza, having scored against Cesena. He came on for Lamesta in the 65th minute, with Benevento ahead 2-0 through Siatounis and Kouan. In the second half Benevento gradually lost control and were pegged back by goals from Corazza and Caferri.

Roma's loanees made their mark during the international break, with Mohamed Seck delivering a commanding defensive display, Luigi Cherubini scoring for Italy's Under-21s, and Neil El Aynaoui clocking over 240 minutes for Morocco across three matches. Seck, a 2007-born defender, started the full 90 minutes in Foggia's 2-0 victory at Cosenza, keeping a clean sheet and earning praise from local media. The Corriere della Calabria awarded him 6.5, while Foggiacalciomania highlighted an almost flawless performance. He picked up a yellow card in the 28th minute but remained unaffected. Radoslaw Zelezny continued his fine form between the sticks for Perugia, playing all 90 minutes in a 3-1 derby win over Gubbio; he conceded little that was preventable and earned a 6.5 rating for his security in possession and distribution. Federico Nardin also impressed at Pescara, completing the full match in a 1-0 win at Livorno achieved by a late Sardo goal, and has now been called up to Italy's Under-19 squad for friendlies against Scotland on 10 and 13 October. Cherubini made the most impact during the break. After coming off the bench in the 79th minute of Italy U21's 1-0 win in Armenia, he was introduced again at the same stage against Poland on 4 October and scored just seven minutes later to seal a 6-2 victory and confirm Italy's direct qualification to the Under-21 European Championship final tournament. El Aynaoui started all three of Morocco's matches—a 2-0 win over Gabon (90 minutes), a 2-0 victory against Lesotho (67 minutes), and a 1-1 draw with Mali on 4 October (full 90)—demonstrating his standing with the national team. Anass Salah-Eddine also featured for Morocco, starting the full 90 minutes at left-back in the Mali friendly. Marash Kumbulla entered Albania's 3-0 Nations League win over San Marino at half-time and played the full second half. Artem Dovbyk, on loan at Bologna, skipped his Ukraine convocation to continue recovering from a muscular problem affecting his hamstring and has already resumed full training with the Bolognese squad ahead of the league's resumption.

Roma's players on loan across Europe experienced a mixed week of midweek and league fixtures. Neil El Aynaoui performed well for RB Leipzig despite a 2–0 home defeat to Bayer Leverkusen, completing 31 of 34 passes and winning 8 of 14 duels while receiving a yellow card in the 74th minute. His statistical rating reached 7.2, among Leipzig's best performances. Anass Salah-Eddine made a convincing debut for Panathinaikos in a Greek Cup tie against Kifisia, playing all 90 minutes on the left flank in a 2–0 victory. FotMob rated him 7.3 for a clean display as Panathinaikos dominated with 71 per cent possession in the first half. By contrast, Angeliño's week at Deportivo La Coruña ended disastrously: he was sent off for a challenge on Miguel Sierra in the 59th minute of a midweek fixture against Sevilla—initially given a yellow card before the VAR review led to a direct red—leaving his side to lose 1–0 already down in the scoreline. Statistical ratings gave him just 5.7, and Deportivo manager Hidalgo noted how the expulsion undermined the team's comeback effort. Angeliño subsequently missed the following 1–1 draw against Betis through suspension. Mohamed Seck at Foggia produced sharply contrasting displays within days. Playing 90 minutes in a goalless midweek draw against Savoia, he was identified as Foggia's best performer, winning nearly every duel against opposing attackers. Coach Auteri retained him for the next match against Inter U23, but this time his form dipped noticeably. Foggia lost 2–1, and a careless passing error by Seck enabled the decisive goal from Fumagalli. Foggiacalciomania rated him 5.5, noting good physical condition but a costly mistake. The week illustrated the growth trajectory of a defender aged just 20, with evident talent and physicality that must be coupled with fewer lapses in concentration. Elsewhere, Federico Nardin at Pescara played the full 90 minutes in a 1–1 midweek draw against Gubbio, earning ratings of 6 and 6.9 for personality and reliability despite some refinements needed, but sat out the subsequent 1–0 win at Vado. Filippo Reale completed 90 minutes for Carrarese in a 1–0 home defeat to Benevento, earning 6 and 6.7 ratings for an orderly display, while Luigi Cherubini entered at the 77th minute for Benevento and struck the post with a close chance in the 83rd. Radoslaw Zelezny, Perugia's goalkeeper, conceded five goals across two matches but received ratings of 6 in both a 3–0 home loss to Spezia and a 2–0 away defeat at Grosseto, with no clear responsibility on most goals. Robinio Vaz at Hull City entered off the bench in the 78th minute during a 2–1 loss at Newcastle after more than ten minutes without notable incident, marking his second consecutive Premier League appearance. Marash Kumbulla remained unused at Rayo Vallecano despite being named in squads for a 2–1 win against Espanyol and a 1–1 draw at Osasuna. Jan Ziolkowski has not returned to action for Monza, continuing recovery from plantar fasciitis. Artem Dovbyk spent another week without playing time at Bologna.

Donyell Malen scored again on Tuesday evening against Slovan Bratislava, converting a penalty in an easy win for Roma. The Dutch forward, known as 'Bobby', has now scored 24 goals in 29 appearances since arriving in January. The article notes that he was the subject of doubts from some fans, who had been hoping for Zirkzee, and others who were frustrated by the failure to sign Raspadori. In Italy, Malen is regarded by many as a top striker, and in Europe he keeps company with players of the calibre of Mbappé, Haaland, Yamal and Raphinha, with Kane considered unreachable at the top. Stefano Carina, writing in Il Messaggero, said that former Italy coach Fabio Capello had described the Bundesliga, where Kane plays, as a league that is "poco allenante" (not very demanding). Malen is also refining other aspects of his game, including dropping deep to meet the ball carrier, cleaning up passes and creating space for team-mates to run into. Against Slovan Bratislava he set up Pellegrini twice, Mora once and Wesley once. With Dybala absent, Malen will need to rebuild his understanding with Soulé, and the weight of the attack rests heavily on his shoulders. Antonio Arena's teammate Santiago Castro can also wait his turn, with Malen described as ready for the challenge.

Referee Andrea Colombo has been appointed to take charge of Napoli against Roma, the eighth-round Serie A fixture set for Saturday 24 October at 18:00 at the Stadio Maradona. The match officials for the round have now been published. Colombo will be assisted by Bindoni and Rossi M., with Sacchi J.L. as fourth official. Aureliano has been named as VAR, with Meraviglia as AVAR. The appointments cover all ten fixtures of Serie A matchday eight, which runs across the weekend from Friday 23 October to Sunday 25 October. The rest of the round's officiating line-up includes Zanotti for Torino v Monza on Friday 23 October at 20:45, Bonacina for Cagliari v Bologna and Di Marco for Como v Sassuolo, both on Saturday 24 October at 15:00, and Arena for Lazio v Parma on Saturday 24 October at 20:45. On Sunday 25 October, Mariani referees Inter v Fiorentina at 12:30, Marinelli takes charge of Atalanta v Frosinone at 15:00, Sozza handles Genoa v Venezia at 15:00, Maresca referees Lecce v Juventus at 18:00, and Marcenaro is in charge of Udinese v Milan at 20:45. For Roma, the Napoli trip is a Saturday evening fixture at the Maradona, and the officiating crew for that match is now confirmed ahead of kick-off.

Gian Piero Gasperini is struggling for attacking options with five matches coming up, and Roma have only two fit senior forwards available, Rodrigo Mora and Soulé. Lorenzo Pellegrini was injured on 20 October and will be out for at least twenty days, so he will not return until after the mid-November international break. Gasperini admitted the problem bluntly: "Every match I lose a player, we are short in attack." The coach is hoping to have Paulo Dybala back for the last two games, against United and Sassuolo, but in the meantime he must find alternatives. One option is to push either Niccolò Pisilli or Bryan Cristante into the attacking midfield line and ask Marten de Roon for an extra effort, especially with Manu Koné also injured. The article notes that Roma have used this approach in some matches last season. Gasperini is also considering a double striker pairing of Donyell Malen and Santiago Castro, with either Mora or Soulé behind them. He also has younger players to call on, with Camara, Antonio Arena and Paratici mentioned first. The shortage makes a January transfer market move even more necessary. The alarm was first raised in September, when Roma lost Leweling and Luiz Henrique at the final moment of their pursuit.

Roma's radio pundits are debating how Gian Piero Gasperini should line up against Napoli, with Mora, Soulé, Malen and Castro at the centre of the discussion. Rete Sport's David Rossi backed keeping Mora in the side alongside Soulé and Malen, arguing that Mora deserves more consecutive games to gain confidence and to win over the Roma crowd, and that playing away from home would ease the pressure on him. He also suggested a more natural role for Mora than the one Gasperini gave Pellegrini against Slovan, when Pellegrini was deployed on the right, a position that is not his. Rossi said: "Contro il Napoli o metti dentro tutti i centrocampisti, con uno tra Pisilli e Cristante alto sulla trequarti, oppure confermi Mora con Soulè e Malen, che è la cosa che farei io." Fabio Petruzzi, also on Rete Sport, proposed Rensch in front of Spinazzola with Wesley on the left, and expected Gasperini to keep faith with Mora but not to rule out Malen and Castro up front together. Tiziano Moroni was more critical, saying Mora had been insufficient in the last match and had created nothing, while noting he is only 19 and urging patience with Gasperini. Gianluca Piacentini raised the idea of Wesley pushed forward in the emergency, but said he would go for the classic line-up against Napoli, with Mora and Soulé behind Malen. He said: "Mora è arrivato da due mesi e per questo gli darei un po' di tempo. Facciamogli fare dieci partite consecutive." He added: "Però se ogni volta deve giocare con questo mattone addosso, che al primo errore viene fustigato, diventa dura…" On Tele Radio Stereo, Mario Corsi said Mora should be given time despite criticism, pointing out that Diomande is also 19. Francesca Ferrazza argued that Roma are not a side in difficulty, that the atmosphere in the stadium is the best it has been, and that Champions League matches drain energy but are tests of strength. Lorenzo Pes reported that Pellegrini, even with a mild injury, will not return before the break, and that what had filtered out suggested a month out with a more significant tear in the same spot where he had surgery. He said Gasperini must hope to recover Dybala soon, with recent reports pointing to an attempt for Udinese, and suggested Cristante move forward with Pisilli in midfield. Alessio Nardo joked: "Il giorno in cui la Roma acquisterà l'esterno sinistro titolare di piede destro faremo una festa in città, perchè finalmente sfateremo un tabù. Sono due anni che cerchiamo questo giocatore senza riuscire a trovarlo…" Piero Torri said Saturday's match against Napoli would be far from easy, and that Cristante was unlikely to start, though he could come on during the game in either the No.10 role or midfield. Roberto Pruzzo said he did not expect Mora to play against Napoli, suggested Castro could partner Malen, and believed Pisilli could operate in a dual role. Nando Orsi argued that Mora must play whenever he has the chance, otherwise he never gets the opportunity to settle in and understand the system. He said: "L'esborso economico deve essere confermato, e quando c'è la possibilità deve giocare." On Castro, he said: "Pensavo a Castro: poverino, non giocherà mai." He noted that Castro has been a starter for three or four matches this season, since Malen usually starts, and that coming on from the bench is very different from starting from the first minute.

Roma's goalscoring spread has become a major talking point after Nicolò Molina's goal against Slovan Bratislava made it 11 different scorers in just ten matches. Donyell Malen leads the way with nine goals, while Pisilli, Koné, Soulé and Hermoso have two each. Lulli, Mora, Cristante, De Roon, Castro and Molina have one apiece. In Serie A, counting cup matches too, Roma have scored from more players than Inter, who are stuck on 10. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are the only Italian club in the top bracket of the Sofascore ranking. Paulo Dybala is the notable absentee from the list and is hoping to return before the international break to add his name to the scoresheet. Every outfield player seems to be getting involved. Ghilardi, who could have been the twelfth man on Tuesday, had a goal ruled out for offside against Castro. Mancini, N'Dicka, Balerdi, Wesley, Rensch, Kouliarakis and Pellegrini are all also looking to get on the scoresheet. The key statistic, according to the article, is the number of chances created and Roma's far greater presence in the opposition box compared with last season. Apart from the match at Como, where Roma played with ten men for more than half an hour, the team have scored in every game in Serie A and the Champions League. They have almost always scored at least twice, the exception being the 1-1 draw with Fenerbahce. Across all European leagues, Brighton lead the way with 15 goals from different scorers, followed by Barcelona, Lyon, Brentford and Real Sociedad with 13. Manchester City, Leverkusen, Atletico Madrid and Freiburg have 12, while Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich are on 11.

Roma dominated Slovan Bratislava from start to finish, with Hermoso and Soulé's goals and a sustained attacking display putting the Champions League side in control, and Gasperini getting the answers he was seeking from players who had previously seen less action. Gasperini changed five players from the Genoa match, lining up in a 3-4-2-1, and the Roma side swarmed the Slovan 4-3-3 from the first whistle. Quick build-up play and incisive passing saw the Giallorossi push forward continually, with the left-sided chain of Pellegrini and Wesley particularly active, Hermoso initially supporting them. Slovan struggled to break up the rhythm and pressure, and their only real source of acceleration was Camara, who was looking for long balls. Roma won the ball back immediately, often without needing any particular marking, and the play was constantly played in a 40-metre area around Takac's goal. Roma's attacking play came mainly down the left, where they regularly reached the byline. The breakthrough was slow to come, however, because of poor finishing. Pellegrini shot wide with his left foot from a Malen pass, then Pisilli sent his rebound wide, and shortly afterwards Pisilli also fired over another chance created by switches of play. Pellegrini had three wayward shots in the first 25 minutes, and Malen initially misread the channels of entry, making some poor runs. Molina, still tentative, worked more in width than in depth. The opener came from a set piece: Ghilardi acted as a target man and Hermoso buried the header. Shortly after, Wesley assisted Molina from wide, who first fluffed his effort at the far post but was then ready on Takac's imperfect rebound to make it 2-0. The double lead ended any sign of a Slovan response, with Pellegrini sound defensively and Balerdi at times almost disarming in how easily he defused danger. With the two-goal cushion, the priority became conserving energy ahead of the Napoli match. After the restart, with the same eleven players, at least another 15 minutes of intensity were needed. The change of pace came when Soulé replaced Pellegrini, who had suffered a new injury, and took up position on the left in an already devastating chain. Soon after, Pisilli won the ball from Malen and Soulé finished it off, described as "like a snack taken from a child", closing out a game that, in effect, never began for Slovan. When Malen made it 4-0, managing energy became even more important. De Roon remained surprisingly on the pitch, and Roma controlled possession, avoiding further setbacks after Pellegrini's knock. Castro and Rensch came on for Malen and Wesley, but De Roon stayed on until the 72nd minute, when Mancini replaced him in midfield, a repeat of the Fonseca emergency of 2020. Koulierakis also came on for Hermoso. Three aspects stood out late on. At 4-0, several vigorous ball recoveries by the Giallorossi showed a ferocious mentality. Castro impressed with the quality of his touch and his game management, which was truly top class. Ghilardi scored a textbook goal, a perfectly co-ordinated volley that recalled Totti at Bologna in 2001, but it was ruled out for an obvious offside by two teammates.