Roma stronger than Inter and Como, says Carina; Sabatini impressed by Balerdi's quality

Roma's Primavera side travel to league leaders Inter for a Friday evening fixture in Primavera 1's ninth matchday, with kick-off at 18:00. Roma come into the game after a 2-2 home draw with Genoa last Saturday and sit fifth in the table on 13 points, five behind Inter at the top. Coach Mattia Scala has opted for a 3-5-2 formation. Marchetti and Cama operate wide, while Paratici and Arena form the attacking pair. Roma's starting line-up is Kilvinger; Bonifazi, Terlizzi, Basile; Marchetti, Giammattei, Ballarin, Maccaroni, Cama; Paratici, Arena. The match is the early kick-off of the weekend's round, and Roma will be looking to close the gap on the top of the table against a side that has yet to drop a place in the standings this season.

Roma travel to Udine on Saturday 31 October with a kickoff at 18:00, facing an Udinese side in deep decline under Kosta Runjaic, whose position is under severe scrutiny. Udinese sit on just 5 points in the table and have won only ... no, they have one point less than that suggests: the article states they are in a crisis, with their bench reportedly in danger and another slip potentially costing Runjaic his job. Udinese's 0-0 draw at Parma in midweek ended a run of defeats but did not cure their problems. They have scored only one goal in their last five outings and their play has been slow and predictable. The most worrying figure for Runjaic concerns home form at the Bluenergy Stadium, where four of their six league defeats this season have come, against Lazio, Cagliari, Lecce and Milan, and where the attack has drawn a blank in their last three home matches. Their injury list is crowded: Solet is hoped to be available for the match, while Bertola is out along with long-term absentees and Alaba. Udinese were rescued at Parma only by a late save from Okoye, who stopped a penalty. Roma have historically struggled in Friuli, regardless of form or league position. Their last meeting there came in February, a 1-0 home win for Udinese thanks to a goal from Ekkelenkamp. In 2024-25 and 2023-24 Roma won narrowly, 2-1 on both occasions, while in September 2022 Udinese won a heavy 4-0. Gasperini is expected to make some rotations but no wholesale turnover, with the focus on Udinese before the Champions League big match against Manchester United on Tuesday.

Roma travel to Udinese for the tenth round of Serie A Enilive, with the match broadcast live and exclusively on DAZN and a 6pm kickoff. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side return to away action after a 4-2 win over Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday. The fixture comes with a wider context. Roma want to build momentum before their demanding Champions League trip to Manchester United next Tuesday, and three more points in Friuli would strengthen their position as they prepare for that test. To watch the match on television, fans will need a DAZN subscription. The service is available through the DAZN app on smart TVs, or on gaming consoles such as Xbox or PlayStation. Other devices are also supported, including Amazon Fire TV Stick, Google Chromecast and the TIM VISION Box. Supporters can follow the action through the live commentary on Forzaroma.info and via the club's social media updates on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook.

Roma travel to Udine for Saturday's Serie A tenth-round fixture against Udinese, which kicks off at 18:00 at the Bluenergy Stadium on 31 October. Gian Piero Gasperini has named a 22-man squad for the trip to Friuli. Paulo Dybala remains absent, as the coach had announced recently, while the young players Di Nunzio and Camara make the journey to Udine. The defensive options are Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi. In midfield, Cristante, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora are included. The attacking group consists of Castro, Malen, Soulé and Camara. The full squad list is set for the visit to the Friuli club, with Gasperini having the 22 players available for the match.

Gian Piero Gasperini has named his squad for Roma's trip to Udinese, with Mile Svilar, Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala ruled out. The match takes place tomorrow at 18:00 at the Bluenergy Stadium and counts for the tenth matchday of Serie A. The absences of Svilar, Koné and Dybala had already been announced. Roma's squad includes the young players Di Nunzio and Camara, who are both included in the matchday group. The goalkeepers are Devis Vásquez, Giorgio De Marzi and Pierluigi Gollini. The defenders are Devyne Rensch, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Evan N'Dicka, Nahuel Molina, Mario Hermoso, Gianluca Mancini, Leonardo Balerdi, Wesley, Emanuele Lulli and Daniele Ghilardi. The midfielders are Bryan Cristante, Marten de Roon, Niccolò Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Rodrigo Mora. The forwards are Santiago Castro, Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Camara.

Roma will travel from Udine to Manchester after Saturday's match at Udinese, having decided not to return to Rome in between. Their schedule is packed: Saturday's match in Friuli, then a Sunday morning training session at Udinese's sports centre, where the Friulani will host the giallorossi. Roma leave Trieste at 16:00 for England for the Champions League tie against Manchester United. On Monday, the eve of the game, Malen and his team-mates will train at Old Trafford at 19:00 Italian time. Gasperini's press conference, featuring one player, is scheduled for 18:20. The match against the Red Devils kicks off on Tuesday at 21:00. Roma will return to Italy on Wednesday morning rather than immediately after the game. Roma's next Serie A fixture is on Saturday 7 November, when they host Sassuolo at the Stadio Olimpico.

Roma travel to Udine for Saturday's Serie A tenth-round fixture against Udinese, which kicks off at 18:00 at the Bluenergy Stadium on 31 October. Gian Piero Gasperini has named a 22-man squad for the trip to Friuli. Paulo Dybala remains absent, as the coach had announced recently, while the young players Di Nunzio and Camara make the journey to Udine. The defensive options are Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi. In midfield, Cristante, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora are included. The attacking group consists of Castro, Malen, Soulé and Camara. The full squad list is set for the visit to the Friuli club, with Gasperini having the 22 players available for the match.

Gian Piero Gasperini has named his squad for Roma's trip to Udinese, with Mile Svilar, Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala ruled out. The match takes place tomorrow at 18:00 at the Bluenergy Stadium and counts for the tenth matchday of Serie A. The absences of Svilar, Koné and Dybala had already been announced. Roma's squad includes the young players Di Nunzio and Camara, who are both included in the matchday group. The goalkeepers are Devis Vásquez, Giorgio De Marzi and Pierluigi Gollini. The defenders are Devyne Rensch, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Evan N'Dicka, Nahuel Molina, Mario Hermoso, Gianluca Mancini, Leonardo Balerdi, Wesley, Emanuele Lulli and Daniele Ghilardi. The midfielders are Bryan Cristante, Marten de Roon, Niccolò Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Rodrigo Mora. The forwards are Santiago Castro, Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Camara.

Roman radio pundits have urged Roma to move quickly for Endrick, while debating the Udinese fixture and the club's attacking options. Mario Corsi (Tele Radio Stereo) said that Roma must act first, warning that AC Milan could beat them to the forward. He pointed to Roma's spending: "Dopo aver speso 60 milioni per Ramos, uno che non segna mai, se può spendere anche per questo... ecco perché dobbiamo muoverci." Corsi also claimed that Endrick would agree to join Roma if he chose the club, and he suggested Mourinho was still thinking about Roma. David Rossi (Rete Sport) raised concerns about Paulo Dybala's fitness before the international break. He said playing Dybala in the game before the break would be "una forzatura" and suggested that Matías Soulé would be used in every match, which could become a problem. Rossi also asked why Roma did not try Guaglianone in the current emergency, noting that Guaglianone had brought forwards such as Arena and Paratici but had never brought in a "mezza punta", the role where Roma are struggling. Gianluca Piacentini (Rete Sport) said that Roma now feel more confident in the strength of the squad than they did last season, when a top-four finish was essential. He said he wanted Roma to aim for first place rather than fourth, and he admitted he would now prefer AC Milan to win the derby over Inter. Lorenzo Pes (Tele Radio Stereo) expected Hermoso and Balerdi to play at Udine, and said Marten de Roon, whom he had seen declining against Cagliari, would likely start alongside Bryan Cristante with Niccolò Pisilli pushed forward. He tipped Rodrigo Mora and Santiago Castro to come off the bench. Pes said Mile Svilar would return after the break, and that Manu Koné had resumed training on the pitch to be available against Sassuolo. Of Dybala, he said: "Dipende da lui. Ma per Manchester mi sembra obiettivamente difficile." Alessio Nardo (Tele Radio Stereo) questioned whether Gasperini already had an XI in mind for Manchester and, consequently, for Udinese. He said: "Sia United che Udinese sono due panchine a fortissimo rischio, bisognerà capire se è un vantaggio o meno per noi." He added: "Io non dico che vincere a Udine domani sarebbe un'impresa, ma comunque sarebbe un grandissimo risultato per la Roma." Nando Orsi (Radio Radio) was the most confident of a Roma win, arguing that Udinese were in free fall. He said: "Questa è l'occasione giusta per la Roma... Non vedo un altro tipo di risultato oltre alla vittoria della Roma." Roberto Pruzzo (Radio Radio) warned that Roma must settle the match early, cautioning that Udinese had recovered Davis and Zaniolo and could cause problems if Roma conceded space. He added: "È una partita da prendere con le molle." Mario Mattioli (Radio Radio) argued that Udine would not be easy for Roma despite Udinese's crisis, and said a Roma win would be "un'altra piccola impresa di questo campionato." Ubaldo Righetti (Radio Romanista) said Roma were not tired against Cagliari, though Mancini may have been, and that De Roon was still effective because he worked through the lines rather than chasing opponents. Righetti said the problem was frenzy, with simple passes going astray. Daniele Lo Monaco (Radio Romanista) warned that Mora risked the same fate as Bojan, who never fulfilled the promise he showed after leaving Barcelona.

Roma travel to Udine for Saturday's Serie A tenth-round fixture against Udinese, which kicks off at 18:00 at the Bluenergy Stadium on 31 October. Gian Piero Gasperini has named a 22-man squad for the trip to Friuli. Paulo Dybala remains absent, as the coach had announced recently, while the young players Di Nunzio and Camara make the journey to Udine. The defensive options are Rensch, Koulierakis, N'Dicka, Molina, Hermoso, Mancini, Balerdi, Wesley, Lulli and Ghilardi. In midfield, Cristante, De Roon, Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Mora are included. The attacking group consists of Castro, Malen, Soulé and Camara. The full squad list is set for the visit to the Friuli club, with Gasperini having the 22 players available for the match.

Gian Piero Gasperini has named his squad for Roma's trip to Udinese, with Mile Svilar, Manu Koné and Paulo Dybala ruled out. The match takes place tomorrow at 18:00 at the Bluenergy Stadium and counts for the tenth matchday of Serie A. The absences of Svilar, Koné and Dybala had already been announced. Roma's squad includes the young players Di Nunzio and Camara, who are both included in the matchday group. The goalkeepers are Devis Vásquez, Giorgio De Marzi and Pierluigi Gollini. The defenders are Devyne Rensch, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Evan N'Dicka, Nahuel Molina, Mario Hermoso, Gianluca Mancini, Leonardo Balerdi, Wesley, Emanuele Lulli and Daniele Ghilardi. The midfielders are Bryan Cristante, Marten de Roon, Niccolò Pisilli, Di Nunzio and Rodrigo Mora. The forwards are Santiago Castro, Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé and Camara.

Evan Ndicka's place in Roma's defence is being pushed hard by Leonardo Balerdi and Daniele Ghilardi, but the Ivorian's numbers remain among the best in Serie A and head coach Gian Piero Gasperini still finds it hard to do without him. Ndicka, who was already a mainstay under Mourinho, De Rossi, Juric and Ranieri, has become a key figure in Gasperini's system, with the coach valuing his physicality, reading of the game in anticipation and dominance in the air. The starting shirt is no longer guaranteed. Balerdi brings dynamism and ball-playing ability from the back, while Ghilardi has often delivered strong performances after coming off the bench. That competition is fierce, especially during a dense run of fixtures between October and November. Even so, Sofascore data shows Ndicka holding his level among the top Serie A centre-backs. He has completed between 83% and 97% of his passes in matches, wins 63% of his aerial duels per game, and averages 5.1 clearances, 4.6 ball recoveries and 1.6 interceptions per 90 minutes in Serie A. Ahead of the match at the Bluenergy Stadium, the choice between Ndicka and Balerdi remains one of Gasperini's main doubts. Balerdi offers different options in build-up play, but the Ivorian's physical strength and duelling ability are seen as vital against Udinese's size and quick counter-attacks. The article notes Udinese are going through a difficult period under Runjaic, and that Roma have a historical record of struggling on trips to Friuli. Relying on Ndicka's experience and qualities could be a winning card. Whether he starts or comes off the bench, Ndicka's return to Udine carries deep emotional weight. The trip comes before the demanding visit to Manchester United on Tuesday 3 November in the Champions League. The defender's history with the city goes back to the scare in Udine on 14 April 2024, when Gasperini, then Atalanta boss, said: "Con i codici gialli le partite non si dovrebbero rinviare" after the Udinese-Roma match was halted. Gasperini has also been critical in the past of very structured centre-backs whom he considers less dynamic in tight man-marking, but since taking charge of Roma that friction has been put aside.