Roma prepare for Parma clash: Malen returns to training, latest on Zaragoza and Pellegrini

Roma and AC Milan have both set their sights on Endrick, the Brazilian forward seeking greater opportunities after limited playing time at his current club. The Milan side hold a slight advantage in the race to sign him, with the competition expected to intensify in the coming weeks. Castro and Soulé, both Roma players, marked special nights with their debuts for Argentina's national team. Castro struck the post during the match, while Soulé produced several noteworthy moments. The pair now await Argentina's fixture against Benin, which will also serve as Lionel Messi's farewell appearance with the national team. Back at Roma, Gasperini is preparing the squad for an upcoming match against Como at the Sinigaglia stadium. Fabregas, Como's manager, recently offered praise for the Roma coach. Gasperini has also turned his attention beyond the Como fixture, directing a message toward Gattuso.

Former Roma defender Vincent Candela has predicted that Roma will defeat Real Madrid in their upcoming Champions League match at the Olimpico in ten days' time. Speaking at the FIP Gold Mediolanum Padel Cup in Perugia, Candela said: "It will be a celebration. I think Roma will win. I don't say it as a fan, but because I look at the characteristics of Gasperini's squad and the comparison with Mourinho's." Mario Hermoso has established himself as a cornerstone of Gasperini's Roma, impressing with his adaptability to the coach's tactical system. The club is now preparing to open contract renewal talks with the Spanish defender. Hermoso is seeking a two-year extension that would take his contract to 2029, but Roma's policy for players over 30 typically involves annual renewals. Both sides have expressed a willingness to continue together, with negotiations expected in the coming weeks. Elsewhere, Roma's interest in Frosinone's Giorgi Kvernadze—a Georgian prospect born in 2003 who has impressed early in the season—has prompted Frosinone president Maurizio Stirpe to distance the player from the market. Stirpe told the Corriere della Sera: "The possible sale of Kvernadze? Today it's only talk, I haven't received any phone calls. I only ever wait for official and concrete proposals." No formal offers have been made for the right-footed winger, whom Gasperini is reportedly keen to add to his squad.

Konstantinos Koulierakis delivered a commanding performance in Greece's Nations League match against Germany, starting and playing the full 90 minutes while keeping a clean sheet. The Roma defender was among the best players on the pitch, containing the physicality of Burkhardt while limiting the pace of Wirtz in a demanding fixture. Koulierakis has featured sparingly for Roma this season, with limited minutes and few opportunities to showcase his form. With the campaign only just underway, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini will need contributions from his full squad. The Greece international's display against Germany represents a statement of intent—a reminder that he remains available and ready to claim his place in the team's plans.

Vincent Candela, the former Roma defender, has predicted that Roma will beat Real Madrid in their upcoming Champions League fixture, citing the tactical qualities of Gasperini's squad. Speaking at the FIP Gold Mediolanum Padel Cup in Perugia, Candela reflected on Roma's recent 2–2 draw against Inter and the momentum it has built. "The Inter squad is one against which it is not easy to play. It has always scored at least two goals and then often won. Against Roma, though, that did not happen. It gave even more drive, confidence and self-awareness," he said. Candela also expects Roma to push Inter hard in the Serie A title race, with Como further back. He highlighted the upcoming fixture against Real Madrid as a tactical showcase between two different managerial approaches. "It will certainly be a fine match from a tactical point of view; Gasperini and Fabregas are two different coaches, but both have a well-defined personality," Candela stated. The former defender singled out forward Donyell Malen for particular praise, saying: "I believe very much in Malen: he is strong, dynamic, sees the goal and is concrete." Gasperini has shifted Malen from his habitual role, and Candela expects significant returns. "I think he will reach beyond 20 goals and will have a great season," he predicted. On Roma's challenge against Real Madrid in ten days at the Olimpico, Candela was emphatic: "It will be a celebration. I think Roma will win. I do not say this as a fan, but because I look at the characteristics of Gasperini's squad and the comparison with Mourinho's."

Former Roma defender Candela has backed the Giallorossi to win their upcoming Champions League match against Real Madrid. Speaking at the FIP Gold Mediolanum Padel Cup in Perugia, Candela expressed confidence in Gasperini's squad, saying: "I think Roma will win." He qualified the prediction as more than just fan sentiment: "I don't say it as a fan, but because I look at the characteristics of Gasperini's team and the comparison with Mourinho's." Roma arrive at the league break in first place with four wins and a draw — the 2–2 result against Inter at the Olimpico. Candela believes that match demonstrated Roma's potential and gave the team "even more drive, confidence and self-awareness." He rates Inter as still the favourites for the Serie A title, with Roma as their closest challengers and Como further back. The next league fixture is against Como, which Candela described as "certainly a beautiful match from a tactical point of view; Gasperini and Fabregas are two different managers, but both have very clear personalities." Candela also made a bold prediction about forward Donyell Malen, whose form has impressed this season. "I believe very much in Malen: he is strong, dynamic, he sees the goal and is clinical," Candela said. "I think he will reach more than 20 goals and will have a great season." The Real Madrid match at the Olimpico is scheduled for ten days' time and Candela called it "a celebration": a Champions League night at home.

Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has reviewed his opening months at Roma in a question-and-answer exchange with La Gazzetta dello Sport, identifying the most emotionally significant match, the most difficult fixture and the player who most impressed him. Gasperini named Roma's league match against Verona as the most moving experience since his arrival. "I'd say the last league game against Verona, because the feeling of having reached an important milestone, with great satisfaction from the fans," he said. The reference is to Roma's qualification for the Champions League, which Gasperini regards as one of the highest points of his time at the club. When asked about the hardest match, Gasperini acknowledged that every fixture presents difficulties but singled out Roma's away game at Inter Milan last season as the moment of deepest decline: "They're all difficult. The most difficult was when Roma was at its lowest against Inter in Milan last year. But the last one we played was on another level entirely." On players who have surprised him, Gasperini chose Donyell Malen, whose goalscoring impact has exceeded even the coach's expectations. "Certainly the number of goals Malen has scored is something nobody could have imagined," Gasperini said. "The rest have all been very positive surprises." Gasperini has previously teased Malen about the possibility of approaching Gonzalo Higuaín's Serie A record of 36 goals. When asked which player he would have liked to coach during his career, Gasperini gave a single-word answer: "Messi."

Roman radio commentators debated Endrick's future and Roma's midfield depth in their daily round-up of opinion from the Rome airwaves. Agresti reported that Real Madrid want to loan out Endrick, and that despite Roma remaining in the picture and able to offer Champions League football, the forward is currently more inclined toward Milan. He has played only 4 minutes for Madrid this season. Mourinho had blocked his departure in the summer, but Endrick wants to showcase himself, and Milan are ready to give him playing time. The club from the San Siro have close relationships with Endrick's agents and had already tried to advance the matter over the summer; they are now reassessing in light of his minimal usage at Madrid. "Tutto dipende da Mourinho e dal fatto che lasci andare il giocatore" — everything depends on Mourinho and whether he lets the player leave, Agresti said. Pugliese suggested Mourinho's intervention in blocking the deal last summer reflected poor relations with the Friedkin ownership. He noted that Cardinale has a close relationship with Roc Nation, and Rodrygo will return to the Real Madrid fold in December, creating crowded options: Díaz, Yoro, Bernardo Silva, Mbappé, Vinicius, Diomande — too many players for too few places. If Mourinho wants to help someone, Pugliese said, "Penso che Mou se vuole dare una mano potrebbe darla Amorim, non a Gasperini" — he thinks Mou could lend it to Amorim, not Gasperini. On Roma's midfield, Pruzzo said young players must be given chances despite the errors they will make. He praised Bryan Cristante for playing every match and providing equilibrium and security to the squad and to Gasperini. "Nel momento in cui ti viene meno, devi avere un'alternativa a centrocampo: la Roma ha i giocatori contati, e questo può essere un problema" — the moment he becomes unavailable, you need an alternative in midfield, and Roma's options are limited, which could be a problem. Pugliese added that Portugal are pushing for Rodrigo Mora to play for the national team in the position left by Cristiano Ronaldo; Mora is a recognizable technical talent and should grow athletically. At Como, if Pellegrini is fit, he will play ahead of Mora.

Roma's international break will conclude this weekend, with the Serie A campaign resuming on Sunday 11 October at Como (12:30 CET, Stadio Sinigaglia). The Giallorossi arrive on the back of a 2–2 draw against Inter, a result that underlined their strong start to the season and their ability to compete with title contenders. The timing of the break is awkward—Roma must immediately shift mental gears for a relentless schedule that will see them play nine times in 27 days, a fixture run that will define their seasonal ambitions under Gasperini. The stretch begins at Como and continues without respite. Three days after the Lombard trip, on Wednesday 14 October, the Champions League returns to the Olimpico after seven years; Real Madrid, managed by José Mourinho, are the visitors. Saturday 17 brings Genoa to Rome, followed by Slovan Bratislava at home on Tuesday 20 in the Champions League league phase. Roma then travel to Napoli on Saturday 24 October, a fixture described as capable of revealing much about the Giallorossi's capacity to compete. There is no time to celebrate or recover: Tuesday 27 sees Cagliari at home in a midweek fixture. Saturday 31 brings a trip to Udinese, followed by a journey to England on 3 November to face Manchester United. The run concludes on 7 November with Sassuolo at home, the ninth and final match of the month-long cycle before the second international break of the season. The injury to Bryan Cristante is poorly timed, depriving the midfield of one of its key equilibrating figures at the start of this critical period. However, his absence opens a tactical opportunity: Marten de Roon is primed to take over the midfield and make his Roma debut from the start, likely already at Como. De Roon brings his customary aggression, solidity and experience. Niccolò Pisilli will offer freshness and enthusiasm, though he is more likely to deputise for Manu Koné than for Cristante. Lorenzo Pellegrini's return, even in a different role—more attacking midfielder than central midfielder in a two-man midfield—is the best possible news for Gasperini. The coach has made clear that there are no hierarchies at Trigoria: "those who are in better form play, for Roma's benefit." Roma's squad training resumes on Tuesday afternoon before the Como trip. The fixture list over the next month presents no respite and no room for fluctuation, with injury risk a constant concern as the team aims to navigate this pivotal stretch.

Lorenzo Pellegrini is ready to reclaim a leading role at Roma after 184 days out. The midfielder has recovered from a long injury, signed a contract renewal on 8 August, and is now pushing for a starting place when Roma face Como. He returns with leadership, technical quality and work completed during the international break at Trigoria. A social media post — "True happiness is being at peace with the people around you" — reflects the calm with which he approaches his comeback after a previous season that yielded seven goals and four assists. Pellegrini's injury began on 10 April. Despite Gasperini assigning the captaincy based on appearances, Pellegrini remains the natural reference point in the dressing room, confirmed by his contract extension and his choice to stay despite several offers from Italian and foreign clubs. His lengthy absence and dedicated rehabilitation put him in fresher condition than squad-mates returning from international duty, including Soulé and Mora. In Gasperini's 3–4–1–2 system, Pellegrini can operate on the attacking midfield line behind Dybala and Malen, providing quality in the final third and pressing intensity. Gasperini is seriously considering starting him, with Pellegrini estimated to have an autonomy of around sixty minutes but ready to begin the match and definitively reclaim his place.

Andrea Stramaccioni, now a DAZN commentator, has analysed Roma's position after their match against Inter, arguing that the gap between the two clubs has narrowed significantly despite Inter remaining the stronger side overall. Speaking on Teleradiostereo, he attributed the improvement to a shift in mentality rather than marquee recruitment, pointing to Gasperini's second season at the club as the turning point. "It's not that a champion arrived who changes your eleven, but we're already in Gasperini's second year and you can see it," Stramaccioni said. "The way you recovered the match against Atalanta is a fundamental leap forward, but also how you managed the Turin game. You've increased your resources, found a fourth starting defender in Balerdi. In this I see the gap reduced." Stramaccioni explained that Gasperini struggles specifically against Inter's 3-5-2 formation because of how Inter's attacking shape is structured. "I'm not speaking in general—I'm talking about Inter's 3-5-2," he said. "Usually he inverts the attacking fulcrum in these cases, probably one player will deal with Zielinski and he could do it with Soulé or Mora. But also by advancing Pisilli. Usually Gasperini suffers in Inter's attacking quadrilateral. Because if you lose track of those four, they hurt you." He cited last season's away match where Ndicka struggled marking opposition players and was caught out for a goal. On Roma's own strengths, Stramaccioni identified their low build-up play as a potential weapon. "The biggest problem for Chivu is in Roma's construction from the back, because Inter rarely uses three players to press. The structure of Gasp's construction can cause more problems to a team like Inter than to Como," he explained. "If Dybala starts to move well across the pitch you take away a centre-back like Bastoni. Gasperini won't change his approach—he'll play it open-faced. If you have a chance you take it with maximum intensity. The important thing is not to come away empty because Inter's strikers don't forgive mistakes." Stramaccioni also assessed Rodrigo Mora's potential at the club. "Gasperini wants someone with a low centre of gravity like Papu Gomez was, he tried it with Zaragoza but it went very badly. He exalts him because he sees those characteristics he needs," he said. "He hasn't had the impact Malen has, but he's also 19. There have been other short players who strengthened the physical bulk—Di Natale and Sneijder. He'll improve too; he has enormous room for growth." Finally, Stramaccioni identified Roma's lack of a ball-carrier in midfield as a key weakness. "This is Gasperini's great frustration. Roma is missing a player who in moments of tiredness attacks the depth—that player the coach expected from the transfer market. There's no one who breaks lines; they're all players you have to feed the ball to. Then you'll have to become more speculative in that sense."

Roma and Inter will meet on the pitch this Saturday as the Serie A leaders, but behind the fixture lies a stark contrast in how their respective owners build and sustain their projects. Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have invested €211 million in player acquisitions since his arrival, while Cristian Chivu's Inter have spent €186 million—a gap of €25 million that illustrates the Friedkin Group's commitment to backing the sporting project despite UEFA financial fair play constraints. By contrast, Inter's ownership under Oaktree has prioritised economic and financial stability. The €211 million Roma figure spans the campaigns that began with Gasperini's appointment. In the 2025–26 season, Roma spent €86.5 million, with Wesley arriving for €25 million and Neil El Aynaoui for €23 million, alongside Robinio Vaz (€20 million), Jan Ziółkowski (€6.5 million), and several expensive loans including Donyell Malen, Bailey, Evan Ferguson, Daniele Ghilardi and Zaragoza. The acceleration came this summer: the Friedkin Group approved €124.5 million for 2026–27, comprising Santiago Castro (€35 million), Rodrigo Mora (€25 million), Malen's permanent transfer (€25 million), Konstantinos Koulierakis (€16.5 million), Nahuel Molina (€13 million), Ghilardi's purchase (€8 million), Marten de Roon (€1 million) and Leonardo Balerdi's loan (€1 million). The Porto agreement for Mora includes a further €25 million for 2027 or 50 per cent of any future sale. The contrast deepens when examining the wider impact on club finances. Since summer 2025, Roma's squad costs—including salaries, depreciation and loan fees—have risen by approximately €15 million, while Inter's have fallen by approximately €10 million. The Friedkin Group has covered losses through fresh capital injections, accepting red accounts to sustain sporting growth; Roma has not closed a profitable financial year since their 2020 arrival, with 2025–26 expected to end in loss. Oaktree delivered a €35 million profit in its first Inter season and is preparing to close the next year in the black. Both approaches remain valid: Chivu inherited a structured squad already competing at the highest level, while Gasperini was tasked with rebuilding after Roma's seven-year absence from the Champions League. Saturday's direct clash will test both strategies on the pitch. One club has chosen acceleration to close the gap; the other is maintaining competitiveness while reducing the squad's economic burden.

As Roma and Inter prepare to meet this week, the two clubs' transfer philosophies have diverged sharply over the past two years. The Friedkin Group has committed €211m in investment across two seasons under Gian Piero Gasperini, while Inter's owners Oaktree have adopted a more cautious strategy, spending €186m under Cristian Chivu with an emphasis on youth development and financial stability. In Gasperini's first season at Roma (2025-26), the club invested €86.5m across the transfer window and January. Summer arrivals included Wesley (€25m) and El Aynaoui (€23m), followed by Robinio Vaz (€20m) in January and a costly loan deal for Donyell Malen (€2m). The squad was further bolstered by acquisitions and loans involving Ziolkowski, Bailey, Ferguson, Ghilardi and Zaragoza. The current 2026-27 campaign has seen Roma spend €124.5m, with major moves including the permanent purchase of Malen (€25m), Santiago Castro (€35m), Rodrigo Mora (€25m), Konstantinos Koulierakis (€16.5m), Nahuel Molina (€13m) and Marten de Roon (€1m), plus the redemption of Ghilardi (€8m) and the loan of Leonardo Balerdi (€1m). Over two years, these investments have increased the squad's salary and amortisation costs by approximately €15m. Inter's approach under Oaktree reflects cost containment and team development. During Chivu's first season they acquired younger talent including Luis Henrique (€24.5m), Bonny (€23m), Diouf (€20m) and Sucic (€15.5m), plus Akanji on loan (€1m), totalling €84m. The 2026-27 window has seen just €102m committed to signings, bringing cumulative Chivu-era spending to €186m. Unlike Roma, Inter has cut squad costs by approximately €10m over the same period, inheriting a competitive core that required less overhaul.