Roma to face Borussia Dortmund on 15 August in pre-season friendly

The four Argentines in the Roma squad — Leonardo Balerdi, Santiago Castro, Matías Soulé and Nahuel Molina — were pictured playing cards on the flight that took the team to Udine, where Roma face Runjaic's side tomorrow with a 6pm kick-off. The group played on a personalised table bearing the Argentina national team crest and the shirt numbers of all five of the group's players, including the No. 21 of Paulo Dybala, who will not be available for the match tomorrow either. The photo published by the club has already gone viral on social media. The Argentine contingent at the club has grown considerably in the latest summer transfer window, and the image highlights the close bond within the group as Roma prepare for the trip to the Friuli. The snapshot captures the mix of smiles, concentration and friendly rivalry that marks the group's time together on the road, with the cards game the highlight of the journey.

Vincenzo Italiano, now coach of Besiktas, has praised Santiago Castro's chipped goal against Genoa, calling it a moment of true class. Italiano coached Castro for two years at Bologna and has always believed in his potential. Speaking to Sky Calcio Unplugged, the former Bologna boss said Castro has that kind of quality in his locker. He recalled that during training at Bologna, the Argentine regularly came up with moves of that sort, the kind of play expected from an attacker who has often found the net at important moments inside the box. Castro's Genoa goal is a reminder of that ability, and it has drawn attention to a forward who now plays for Roma. Italiano's full verdict: "Santi has those kinds of moves in him. In training, in those two years at Bologna, he came up with plays of the kind only an Argentinian player would, a player who has often managed to score important goals inside the area. He scored a really great goal, a move that was truly worthy of a champion."

AS Roma have issued a full set of entry instructions for supporters travelling to Old Trafford for their Champions League fixture against Manchester United on Tuesday 3 November. Tickets for the away section have already been emailed to buyers, and they can be used only in digital form via NFC technology. The club said all tickets bought for the Old Trafford away section were sent to the email addresses given during purchase. Fans who have not received their ticket, or who have trouble displaying it, can call the assistance service on 06/89386000, which operates from 9:00 to 18:30. Roma advise supporters to download their ticket before arriving at the stadium to avoid problems at the turnstiles. The away section is in the south-east corner of the stadium and is split into several areas, each with its own entrance. Holders of tickets for section S229 must enter only through gate S22, and requests to move to sections E230-E233 will not be possible. Seating was allocated at random, following the order in which tickets were bought. The gates open two hours before kick-off. All fans will go through security checks and cannot bring in bags larger than an A4 sheet. Tickets for other areas of the stadium will not grant access to the away section. On the advice of local authorities, the official meeting point for Roma supporters will be Shambles Square in central Manchester, at Shambles Square, Cathedral Gates, Manchester, M3 1SW. From there, fans can walk to Old Trafford in about 45 minutes, following the route the club has published. Screenshots, paper printouts and alternative QR codes will not be accepted. Phones must be working and have enough charge at the time of entry, and fans with a flat battery will not be allowed in. Tickets can be downloaded more than once and on different devices. Android users must check that NFC is switched on. Samsung owners may need to set Google Wallet as their default app. Apple devices have NFC active automatically. Roma urge all supporters to complete these checks before travelling to Old Trafford so that they avoid problems at the point of entry.

Roma begin a run of five matches that are on paper favourable when they face Udinese at the Friuli today, 31 October, a sequence that could lift them up the table and leave them close to, if not ahead of, Lazio by the Rome derby on 13 December. La Gazzetta dello Sport reports that after a win over Cagliari that came with some scares, Roma head into the game in Udine with Gasperini's plan taking shape. Before the international break, Roma are set to face sides in difficulty, namely Udinese, Sassuolo, Parma, Monza and Bologna. Between those fixtures come the demanding Champions League trips to Manchester United and Paris Saint-Germain, but the article suggests the conditions to push on are all there. Roma are chasing an eighth win of the season to stay attached to the leading group and keep moving forward. For today's game, with Udinese going through a difficult moment and looking for a way back, Gasperini is set to rotate ahead of the trip to England. There will be changes and continuity: Ghilardi and Balerdi lead the defence, Wesley is on the left, while the attacking thrust will again be entrusted to Donyell Malen, who already has ten goals this season, and Matías Soulé, increasingly decisive on the right flank. Roma are looking to stay in touch with the group at the top and keep up the pace.

Niccolò Pisilli is set to start for the sixth consecutive time when Roma play at Udine tonight, with Manu Koné absent, and he has become one of Gian Piero Gasperini's main goal sources this season. The 2004-born midfielder has already scored four goals this campaign, making him Roma's second-highest scorer after Donyell Malen, who has 10. Gasperini's side has seen almost the whole squad find the net so far this season, and Pisilli is increasingly the extra goalscorer in the team. Pisilli has reached 10 career goals at 22 years old, with 82 appearances to his name. That is quicker than Daniele De Rossi, who scored his tenth goal for Roma in his 105th appearance in the yellow and red, at the age of 22 years and 7 months. Gasperini has a long history of getting goals from midfielders, with Pasalic, Koopmeiners and the Bergamo-era Cristante all enjoying productive spells under him, and Pisilli now joins that list. The report is written by Francesco Balzani for La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Roma travel to the Bluenergy Stadium to face Udinese on Saturday 31 October at 18:00, in Serie A matchday 10. Gian Piero Gasperini's side arrive after a 4-2 win over Cagliari that moved them into third place with 21 points. Udinese, coached by Kosta Runjaic, ended a run of six consecutive defeats with a 0-0 draw at Parma, but have not scored in three matches and have collected just five points from their first nine games. Runiajc has confirmed the absences of Solet, Bayo, Zanoli and Alaba. Okoye is expected in goal, with Abankwah, Kabasele and Palma in the back three and Vojvoda and Kamara on the flanks. Karlstrom is set to anchor midfield alongside either Zarraga or Piotrowski, while Zaniolo and Ekkelenkamp support Davis up front. Bertola has recovered from injury. Gueye is also unavailable for the hosts. Roma are without Svilar, Koné, Pellegrini and Dybala, who has not been included in the squad. Gollini keeps his place in goal. Gasperini is expected to rotate heavily in defence, with Ghilardi, Balerdi and Hermoso favoured, while Mancini and N'Dicka are initially set to rest. Lulli and Wesley will operate on the flanks, with Cristante and Pisilli in midfield and De Roon given a breather. Soulé, Rodrigo Mora and Malen are confirmed up front. Both teams line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation. The match will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN, via the DAZN app on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, consoles and computers, and on the DAZN 1 channel for satellite subscribers who have activated the option. There is no live coverage on the traditional Sky Sport channels. Kick-off is at 18:00 on Saturday 31 October. Bookmakers make Roma clear favourites. Udinese are priced between 5.50 and 5.70, a draw between 4.20 and 4.50, and a Roma win between 1.52 and 1.57. Market probabilities give Roma around a 60% chance of victory. Bookmakers also expect goals, with Over 2.5 favoured over Under, and Goal offered at a relatively low price. Roma have the second-best attack in the league. The most likely correct score is a 1-2 Roma win, priced around 7.00-7.50, ahead of 1-1, 0-1 and 0-2. The referee is Fabio Maresca of Napoli, with assistants Lo Cicero and Rossi L., Daniele Chiffi as fourth official, Daniele Paterna as VAR and Gianluca Aureliano as AVAR.