
Roma line up against Slovan Bratislava with Balerdi in defence
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.




