Roma reject Dybala and Molina release for Messi farewell match as Gasperini holds firm

Gianluca Mancini will not travel with Italy for their fixture against Turkey, with national team coach Roberto Mancini deciding to leave ten players at the Coverciano training centre to continue work there. Mancini joins Ahanor, Barella, Coppola, Inacio, Kouadio, Maldini, Pessina, Ricci and Zoma in staying behind. The decision reflects uncertainty over Mancini's starting place in Italy's defensive line. Coach Roberto Mancini is considering substantial changes to the back four following matches against Belgium, Turkey and France, with Di Lorenzo, Mancini and Coppola potentially replaced by Kayode, Scalvini and Bastoni, the latter returning from suspension. Back at Roma, the fixture list after the international break presents a demanding challenge: seven matches in 23 days beginning with the away trip to Como, followed by Real Madrid, Genoa, Slovan Bratislava, Napoli, Cagliari and Udinese. This run will test both Roma's ambitions and the depth of Gasperini's squad. Roma's trip to Bologna on 4 December is under observation by the ONMS owing to a Virtus Bologna Euroliga match against Partizan Belgrade scheduled the same day; the proximity of the basketball arena and the Dall'Ara stadium, just over 2 kilometres apart, raises concerns about contact between supporter groups, though a final decision will come later. The trip to Como faces no such issues.

Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina want to attend a farewell match for Lionel Messi with Argentina on 6 October, but the timing poses a logistical and sporting problem for Roma. The event is scheduled for 22:00 in Argentina, and factoring in travel, time zones and recovery, both players would not be available until 8 October. Roma face Como three days later on 11 October at 12:30 in a crucial fixture for the top of the league that also opens a demanding run of consecutive Serie A and Champions League matches. The question of whether the pair should travel has become one of the most delicate issues during Roma's current international break. Reports differ on where the resistance lies. According to Il Messaggero, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini gave approval for Dybala and Molina to depart, recognising the special significance of the occasion for two players who won the 2022 World Cup with Messi. However, Corriere dello Sport reports that the Friedkin family themselves have applied the brakes, judging the cost in fatigue, travel and recovery too high ahead of such an important match. No final decision has been made. The situation remains open, though the lean of opinion is currently towards preventing the trip. A definitive resolution is expected on Tuesday when training resumes at Trigoria, when the club, Gasperini and the players must weigh sporting demands against personal wishes and reach a shared conclusion. Meanwhile, other Argentina internationals will attend the Messi event regardless. Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi are all on regular national team duty and will participate in the farewell ceremony, meaning they will be among the last national team players to return to Rome ahead of the Como fixture.

Gianluca Mancini will not travel with Italy for tomorrow's Nations League match against Turkey in Bursa, as coach Roberto Mancini has excluded ten players from the squad to avoid the costly journey. The fixture kicks off at 20:45 CET at the Atatürk Spor Kompleksi and follows Italy's defeat to Belgium at the Olimpico on Friday. Roma defender Gianluca Mancini is among those held back, though fellow Roma squad member Daniele Ghilardi has been included in the travelling party. The ten excluded players will undertake a tailored training programme at the Italian Football Federation's technical centre in Coverciano instead. Italy's next fixture after Turkey is a match in Paris against France, before the sides meet again in Bologna. The decision reflects Roberto Mancini's desire to manage preparation carefully and spare the full squad an arduous trip to Turkey. The FIGC issued an official statement explaining the arrangement: "With the objective of managing preparation best ahead of matches against France in Paris and Turkey again in Bologna, and not subjecting the whole squad to a demanding transfer to Turkey, coach Roberto Mancini has decided to organise a specific training programme at the Federal Technical Centre in Coverciano for Honest Ahanor, Nicolò Barella, Diego Coppola, Samuele Inacio, Eddy Kouadio, Daniel Maldini, Gianluca Mancini, Massimo Pessina, Samuele Ricci and Mohamed Alì Zoma, providing them with part of the technical and performance staff (Massimo Maccarone, Cristiano Lupatelli, Giulio Nuciari and Luca Bossi), as well as medical and physiotherapy support."

Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina want to attend a farewell match for Lionel Messi with Argentina on 6 October, but the timing poses a logistical and sporting problem for Roma. The event is scheduled for 22:00 in Argentina, and factoring in travel, time zones and recovery, both players would not be available until 8 October. Roma face Como three days later on 11 October at 12:30 in a crucial fixture for the top of the league that also opens a demanding run of consecutive Serie A and Champions League matches. The question of whether the pair should travel has become one of the most delicate issues during Roma's current international break. Reports differ on where the resistance lies. According to Il Messaggero, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini gave approval for Dybala and Molina to depart, recognising the special significance of the occasion for two players who won the 2022 World Cup with Messi. However, Corriere dello Sport reports that the Friedkin family themselves have applied the brakes, judging the cost in fatigue, travel and recovery too high ahead of such an important match. No final decision has been made. The situation remains open, though the lean of opinion is currently towards preventing the trip. A definitive resolution is expected on Tuesday when training resumes at Trigoria, when the club, Gasperini and the players must weigh sporting demands against personal wishes and reach a shared conclusion. Meanwhile, other Argentina internationals will attend the Messi event regardless. Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi are all on regular national team duty and will participate in the farewell ceremony, meaning they will be among the last national team players to return to Rome ahead of the Como fixture.

Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina face uncertainty over attending Lionel Messi's final Argentina match, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini having approved the trip but the club moving toward blocking it. The two Argentine players, not called up for Argentina's opening international break friendlies, were invited to the farewell friendly against Benin on 6 October at the Monumental in Buenos Aires. Both would not return to Italy until 8 October, leaving only three days before Roma's away fixture against Como on 11 October—the start of a gruelling run of nine matches in 27 days. The decision will be made on Tuesday when training resumes at Trigoria. Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi will definitely return, as all three have been called up and are the last to arrive back in Italy.

Roma have refused to release Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina for Argentina's friendly against Benin on 6 October at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, where Lionel Messi will play his final international match. Despite the symbolic weight of the occasion—Dybala shared the World Cup victory in Qatar with Messi—the club's hierarchy at Trigoria has rejected the request. The intercontinental travel was deemed too demanding and poorly timed ahead of the Serie A restart. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini opposed the release, and Roma is not alone in its stance: Inter and Fiorentina have also raised objections with the Argentine Football Association over the fixture's tight scheduling. Dybala had hoped to make the trip a brief visit, but clearance was not forthcoming from the club.

Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina want to attend a farewell match for Lionel Messi with Argentina on 6 October, but the timing poses a logistical and sporting problem for Roma. The event is scheduled for 22:00 in Argentina, and factoring in travel, time zones and recovery, both players would not be available until 8 October. Roma face Como three days later on 11 October at 12:30 in a crucial fixture for the top of the league that also opens a demanding run of consecutive Serie A and Champions League matches. The question of whether the pair should travel has become one of the most delicate issues during Roma's current international break. Reports differ on where the resistance lies. According to Il Messaggero, head coach Gian Piero Gasperini gave approval for Dybala and Molina to depart, recognising the special significance of the occasion for two players who won the 2022 World Cup with Messi. However, Corriere dello Sport reports that the Friedkin family themselves have applied the brakes, judging the cost in fatigue, travel and recovery too high ahead of such an important match. No final decision has been made. The situation remains open, though the lean of opinion is currently towards preventing the trip. A definitive resolution is expected on Tuesday when training resumes at Trigoria, when the club, Gasperini and the players must weigh sporting demands against personal wishes and reach a shared conclusion. Meanwhile, other Argentina internationals will attend the Messi event regardless. Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi are all on regular national team duty and will participate in the farewell ceremony, meaning they will be among the last national team players to return to Rome ahead of the Como fixture.

Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina face uncertainty over attending Lionel Messi's final Argentina match, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini having approved the trip but the club moving toward blocking it. The two Argentine players, not called up for Argentina's opening international break friendlies, were invited to the farewell friendly against Benin on 6 October at the Monumental in Buenos Aires. Both would not return to Italy until 8 October, leaving only three days before Roma's away fixture against Como on 11 October—the start of a gruelling run of nine matches in 27 days. The decision will be made on Tuesday when training resumes at Trigoria. Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Leonardo Balerdi will definitely return, as all three have been called up and are the last to arrive back in Italy.

Roma have refused to release Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina for Argentina's friendly against Benin on 6 October at the Monumental in Buenos Aires, where Lionel Messi will play his final international match. Despite the symbolic weight of the occasion—Dybala shared the World Cup victory in Qatar with Messi—the club's hierarchy at Trigoria has rejected the request. The intercontinental travel was deemed too demanding and poorly timed ahead of the Serie A restart. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini opposed the release, and Roma is not alone in its stance: Inter and Fiorentina have also raised objections with the Argentine Football Association over the fixture's tight scheduling. Dybala had hoped to make the trip a brief visit, but clearance was not forthcoming from the club.