Roma-Napoli referee Colombo, Aureliano on VAR

Napoli coach Massimiliano Allegri has recovered midfielder Vergara ahead of Saturday's clash with Roma, with the player set to be named in the squad for the match at the Maradona. Vergara had suffered a medium-grade strain of the right soleus while on Italy duty, but he has returned to partial group training today. Napoli will be without Alisson Santos and Neres, as well as Buongiorno and Favasuli. Roma face a difficult selection problem of their own. Gian Piero Gasperini will have to do without Koné, Svilar, Dybala and Pellegrini. Cristante returns to availability for the Roma boss. The fixture is a significant test for both sides, with Napoli looking to strengthen their position against a Roma side who will be missing several key players.

Andrea Colombo of the Como section will referee the Napoli v Roma match at the Maradona on Saturday at 18:00, the big fixture of Serie A's eighth matchday. He will be assisted by Bindoni and Rossi, with Sacchi as fourth official. Aureliano will be the VAR, with Meraviglia as AVAR. Colombo, a Lombard referee, has overseen Roma 11 times, with a record of 5 wins, 5 draws and just 1 defeat. Their most recent meeting was a home game against Atalanta on 5 September, which Roma won 2-1 from behind, with goals from Hermoso and Soulé late on. Last season, Roma drew 2-2 away at Napoli, with Malen scoring twice, but the more controversial game was a defeat at Genoa. In that match, Colombo denied Roma a clear penalty for a handball by Malinovskyi on Koné's shot. The record is also positive for Napoli, who have won 7, drawn 1 and lost 3 of their 11 meetings with the Lombard referee. One of those defeats came in December 2023, when Roma beat Napoli 2-0 at the Olimpico, with goals from Pellegrini and Lukaku. Colombo's appointment is the key talking point ahead of a fixture that has historically been tight, with both sides having strong records under him. Roma will be keen to put the Genoa controversy behind them and turn their recent results into a strong performance at the Maradona.

Roma return to action on Saturday with a big match at the Maradona against Napoli, kicking off at 18:00, refereed by Colombo. The official's record against Roma is positive: five wins, five draws and one defeat in their previous meetings. Last season's defeat, however, was marked by controversy. Roma lost 2-1 to Genoa, then coached by De Rossi, and a penalty was not given for a handball by Malinovskyi on Koné's shot. The defeat to Genoa came in a season when refereeing decisions drew heavy debate, and Roma's fans will be keen to see whether the officials can avoid a repeat of that row. Aureliano is the VAR and Meraviglia will serve as the assistant video referee for the fixture. The Italian report sets out the officiating line-up in full, with Colombo in charge on the pitch, supported by Aureliano at the VAR screen and Meraviglia as the AVAR. The match is a Saturday fixture, with the 18:00 kickoff confirmed.