Roma suffer injury blow as Robinio Vaz sidelined with knee ligament damage

Real Madrid trained on 12 October ahead of their Champions League match against Roma at the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday at 21:00. The squad's starting players, who won their previous fixture against Villarreal, completed specific recovery work. The remainder of the team trained with possession drills before moving into small-sided matches. Rodrygo and Asencio remain sidelined and are continuing their respective recovery programmes.

Roma will face Real Madrid in the Champions League group phase on Wednesday 14 October at 21:00 at the Stadio Olimpico, the second round of fixtures after opening with a 1–1 draw away to Fenerbahce. Real Madrid enter on three points following a 2–1 victory over Inter at the Bernabéu. Gian Piero Gasperini's side are without goalkeeper Mile Svilar, who has suffered a stress fracture to the fifth toe and will miss several weeks, leaving Pierluigi Gollini to start after featuring in the 0–0 draw at Como. Bryan Cristante remains uncertain with a right knee problem that forced him to miss the Como trip. Roma's last four Champions League meetings with Real Madrid have ended in defeat without scoring, making this fixture a chance to reverse a poor record. The clubs have met 12 times in the competition, with Real Madrid winning eight, Roma winning once and three draws recorded. Gasperini is expected to deploy a 3–4–2–1 formation, with Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso in defence, Nahuel Molina and Wesley on the flanks, and Marten de Roon partnering Manu Koné in midfield. Paulo Dybala will operate behind the forward, with Matías Soulé in contention after starting on the bench at Como and Donyell Malen leading the line. Malen's red card against Como applies only to Serie A and will not prevent him playing in Europe. José Mourinho's Real Madrid will likely field a 4–2–3–1. Thibaut Courtois starts in goal with a back four potentially featuring Matthijs de Ligt, Aurélien Tchouaméni and Ferland Mendy, though alternatives include Trent Alexander-Arnold, Antonio Rüdiger and Álex Carreras. Yan Diomande, who scored the winner against Villarreal last weekend, is being monitored as a threat to Vinícius Júnior for a starting berth. Federico Valverde and Tchouaméni will anchor midfield, with Arda Güler, Jude Bellingham and Vinícius supporting Kylian Mbappé. Real Madrid are without Éder Militão, who has returned to training but will miss Roma and subsequent fixtures, and Mendy is not included on the club's UEFA squad list. The match will be broadcast exclusively in Italy on Amazon Prime Video, with build-up coverage starting at 19:30 and kick-off at 21:00 on Wednesday 14 October. Official team sheets will be released approximately one hour before the start.

Roma's 0–0 draw with Como on 11 October has prompted extensive praise from Rome's radio networks, with commentators highlighting the team's maturity and the impression they made despite finishing a player short after Donyell Malen's expulsion. The match raised fresh concern over Mile Svilar's fitness, with uncertainty continuing over a possible surgical procedure. Radio analysts across multiple stations interpreted Como's tactical approach as a direct response to Roma's threat under Gian Piero Gasperini. Piero Torri said: "Yesterday Como abandoned their natural style because they feared Roma, and that is the finest compliment you can pay to Gasperini's team. This year the others are afraid when they face Roma." Several commentators argued that Roma deserved to lead in the opening fifty minutes before Malen's dismissal transformed the contest. Roberto Pruzzo, a Roma legend, criticised the refereeing, saying the officials "are returning to what they have always done" and noting that a better referee would have called a foul before Malen's incident, allowing him to issue a yellow card rather than red. Opinion split on the expulsion itself. Alessandro Vocalelli said Malen's challenge "is a red without discussion. The foul is ugly and very dangerous," though he agreed the referee should have whistled the earlier offence. Franco Melli countered: "The referee should have stopped play first for the foul on Malen." Luigi Ferrajolo described the sending-off as "excessive and hasty", arguing Malen was "being pulled when he recovered the ball." Despite the controversy, the consensus was that Roma showed collective strength in adversity. Gasperini's preparation impressed Ugo Trani: "Gasperini prepares matches really well—so much so that he forced someone like Fabregas to change the way he plays." N'Dicka and Marten de Roon earned particular praise, with Trani naming the pair among the standout performers. Pierluigi Gollini's goalkeeping display, despite replacing the absent Svilar, drew approval across the airwaves. Simone Valdarchi noted: "After the Inter match, Roma confirmed they are a more mature team. Last season you would have lost this game." The injury to Svilar loomed large in the analysis. Trani expressed concern: "I'm worried about Malen—I'm afraid they might ban him for two matches." On the goalkeeper, he added: "For Svilar they are still deciding on a possible operation."

Roma's sporting director addressed the media ahead of the sixth Serie A round at Como, expressing disappointment over key injuries while backing the squad to respond. D'Amico confirmed that both Mile Svilar and Bryan Cristante will miss the fixture through injury, describing them as long-term absences that will sideline the players for multiple matches. "Sicuramente è un dispiacere perdere un giocatore importante come Svilar, ma anche Cristante. Sono infortuni un po' lunghi e quindi salteranno tante partite," he said, but added confidence in the available squad. "Però tutti i ragazzi che fanno parte della rosa hanno grande fiducia da parte del club e dell'allenatore, quindi credo che per Pierluigi come per Marten sia una motivazione e non un peso." D'Amico praised the work done over the summer and highlighted the importance of squad depth despite the absences. He stressed that renewal contracts for players out of contract carried the same strategic weight as new signings. The director also expressed optimism about Lorenzo Pellegrini's role going forward, having worked through a difficult injury period during the off-season. "Per noi rinnovarlo è stato come un acquisto, così come tutti gli altri che erano in scadenza," he explained. Ahead of the Como fixture, D'Amico outlined Roma's expectations: "Sì, i principi delle due squadre sono un po' diversi. Ci aspettiamo una partita bella tra due squadre forti. Il tempo di prepararla è stato poco perchè abbiamo avuto tantissimi giocatori in nazionale, però ci sono mesi di lavoro importante alle spalle. Ci auguriamo che sia una partita bella, uno spot per tutto il sistema calcio italiano."

Antonio Tempestilli, the former Roma and Como player who spent twelve seasons equally divided between the two clubs from 1981 to 1993, has assessed the tactical battle ahead between the two sides as Roma prepare for their fixture at Como. Speaking on the eve of the match, Tempestilli weighed the strengths of both coaches: "Entrambi. Credo che si rispettino e si remano a vicenda: sono due che amano attaccare, giocare a viso aperto; fanno un gran calcio seppure con principi diversi; proprio per questo mi aspetto una gran partita" — both Fabregas and Gasperini respect each other and love to attack and play openly, making great football with different principles, which is why he expects a great match. On Roma's form, Tempestilli stressed the challenge of the international break: "Ti può dare qualche problemino con tanti giocatori fuori, in giro con le nazionali: bisogna vedere se c'è stato affaticamento, sperare che siano tornati tutti a posto…però vale per tutti, a cominciare dal Como. Ora bisogna riaccendere il tasto della mentalità che la Roma ha mostrato fino alla sosta. Gasperini in questo senso è una garanzia." The long pause poses risks with players scattered across nations, but the same applies to Como. Roma must reignite the mentality Gasperini has instilled before the break. On Leonardo Balerdi's emergence as a regular, Tempestilli noted: "Direi che come definizione ci può stare, viste le caratteristiche; quando Gasperini lo ha paragonato a Baresi chiaramente voleva intendere questo. È migliorabile sotto alcuni aspetti e con il lavoro a Trigoria lo sta già facendo, ma la tempra e il piglio battagliero mi piacciono molto." He described Balerdi as having an 1980s-style defender's character, and said having multiple centre-back options is a fortune for Gasperini given the high number of matches ahead. Regarding Gianluca Mancini's slow start, Tempestilli insisted the midfielder possesses the right mentality and experience to rediscover his leadership. On Lorenzo Pellegrini's potential involvement, Tempestilli said: "Gasperini sa valutare ogni particolare, a cominciare da condizione e motivazioni. Una cosa è certa: Pellegrini è un valore aggiunto, resta da porsi una domanda: che minutaggio ha nelle gambe?" Pellegrini is valuable added value, but his match fitness remains to be established. Looking ahead, Tempestilli cautioned against reading too much into any single result: "Troppo presto. Piedi per terra, perché il campionato è lungo. Al tempo stesso, una cosa possiamo permetterci di dirla: sognare è lecito." It is too early to identify an Inter challenger, he said, but dreaming is allowed.

Robinio Vaz has had limited playing time since joining Hull City on loan in August, with only eight minutes against Chelsea and twelve against Newcastle to his name so far this season, plus a subdued showing in the Curaçao Cup. The French midfielder has moved between benches at Marseille, Roma and now Hull City, where he arrived on a temporary deal with a buyout option. Vaz joined Roma in January on a €22 million transfer at the behest of Massara, but failed to win over head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, who opted to send him out on loan rather than allow his valuation to diminish further. The club structured the deal as a €2 million loan fee coupled with a €30 million buyout clause for Hull City, which carries no performance or appearance conditions—it depends solely on the English club's judgment of the player. Despite injuries to Hull's Gelhardt and Ansah, Vaz has not broken into their starting hierarchy. The arrangement came at a time when Vaz also faced racist abuse on social media, prompting Hull City to issue a statement in his defence. The hope now, whether or not the buyout is triggered, is that the midfielder finds regular football in England and can rebuild his career after a difficult spell at the Stadio Olimpico.