Roma train in Friuli ahead of Manchester United clash; Gasperini updates on injuries

Paulo Fonseca is poised to become the new head coach of Sporting Lisbon, according to Fabrizio Romano, who reports the former Roma and Milan boss has agreed terms with the Portuguese club. The 53-year-old, currently in charge of Lyon, was in the dugout for Lyon's 2-0 win over Angers on Sunday and broke down in tears after the victory. Lyon's win carried a farewell feel, although Fonseca gave little away. "Tomorrow I will be with the group, at the moment there is nothing. Sporting? It is a possibility," he said. According to Romano, Fonseca will take over from Rui Borges next week. The move would see him return to Portugal, where he will coach a club that Roma meet in the Champions League League Phase. Roma host Sporting at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday 8 December, in the sixth matchday of the League Phase, so Fonseca will be back in the Italian capital just over a month from now. Fonseca previously coached Roma and Milan, and his return to the Olimpico will be a notable occasion for the Giallorossi as they prepare to face his new club in Europe's top competition.

Roma travelled to Manchester straight after a 5-2 win away at Udinese, with Tuesday's Champions League fourth-matchday fixture against Manchester United, coached by Carrick, set for 21:00. Roma trained in Udine earlier on the day of the win's aftermath before flying out to Manchester. The Giallorossi are in the middle of a busy run across league and cup football, and the trip to Old Trafford comes in the fourth round of the Champions League league phase. Gian Piero Gasperini's pre-match press conference is scheduled for domani, the day before the game, at 18:20 Italian time, with Marten de Roon alongside him. The final training session on the Old Trafford pitch is due around 19:00 local time. The programme for the eve of the match therefore brings together Gasperini's media duties, De Roon's presence at the press conference and a closed-door touch-up on the Old Trafford grass ahead of Tuesday's kickoff at 21:00.

Roma have arrived in Manchester, where they face Manchester United under Carrick on Tuesday in matchday four of the Champions League League Phase. After morning training in Udine, the Giallorossi set off for England in the afternoon. The pre-match press conference with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini takes place tomorrow at 17:20 local time, which is 18:20 in Italy. Marten de Roon will sit alongside him. The eve-of-match training session follows at 18:00 English time (19:00 in Italy), just over 24 hours before kickoff at Old Trafford. The fixture is the fourth matchday of the Champions League League Phase, with Roma taking on United at Old Trafford on Tuesday.

Roma have scored 28 goals in their first ten Serie A matches, a club record after the 5-2 win at Udinese, beating the previous high of 26. Five different players scored in the win, including two defenders, and the coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side have already turned their attention to the Champions League trip to Manchester United. Roma will not return to the capital. The squad will train in Udine and travel directly to England to prepare for the Champions League fixture at Old Trafford. Mancini could return to the starting line-up from the first minute, while Pisilli is pushing Mora for a place in the attacking midfield area. Svilar, Koné and probably Dybala remain unavailable, and there could be changes for the match against Sassuolo. Manchester United are in crisis, having taken nine matches without a win and collecting just seven points in the Premier League. Michael Carrick, who scored twice in the infamous 7-1 defeat of Roma in 2007, is under pressure, and Tuesday's game against the Giallorossi could be decisive for his future. The Spanish referee Gil Manzano will take charge of Manchester United against Roma on Tuesday evening. Roma drew 1-1 with Fenerbahçe under him, a game marked by refereeing controversy. Del Cerro Grande will be the VAR, with Fernandez as assistant. In Serie A, Lazio came from behind to beat Cagliari 2-1, with goals from Isaksen and Pinamonti, moving up to 28 points. Roma stay third on 24 points, behind Inter as well. Two penalty appeals were turned down at the Olimpico, fuelling debate. Frosinone beat Torino 2-0 in the other afternoon match. Como, coached by Fabregas, beat Venezia 1-0 with a Da Cunha penalty to move to 23 points, one behind Roma, after a spot-kick first awarded to the visitors was overturned by VAR for a handball by Milla. Udinese have sacked Runjaic after a disastrous start, leaving them second from bottom with five points from ten matches. Paolo Zanetti is the leading candidate to replace him, with contacts already under way.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have set a club record of 28 goals after their first 10 Serie A matches, and the coach's influence is being felt in more than the table. Roma have also gone 17 league games unbeaten, a run that began seven months ago, and have scored with 14 different players. The article credits Gasperini's method, which has made a difference since last season, with improving both the collective behaviour of the team and the development of individual players, young and experienced alike. The clearest evidence of that work, the article argues, comes when Roma are under pressure. Several key players have been missing for weeks: Svilar, Koné and Dybala are all regular starters, and Pellegrini is also absent. Cristante has returned after three matches out and was a major presence at Udine. Despite the lack of players of real quality, Gasperini has kept his idea of football intact, and the team has not lost the identity that marks every match he prepares. At Udine, Gasperini made changes during the game to keep his 3-4-2-1 system without abandoning it. In the closing stages he pushed Ghilardi wide on the right, asking him to finish the match against Udinese as a winger, and moved Molina up into the attacking midfield role behind Castro and in line with Pisilli. Mancini came on for Soulé, taking Ghilardi's place in defence, and Ghilardi's move into midfield pushed Molina further forward. The attack was therefore reshaped from the starting line-up, which had Malen alongside Soulé and Mora. The second-half moves also raise the question of January reinforcements. Given the seriousness of Pellegrini's injury, added to the absence of the out-and-out striker who did not arrive in the summer, the article says Roma would benefit from two more attacking midfielders to give greater choice up front. Pisilli and Molina, a midfielder and a wide player, ended up in those positions at Udine. Gasperini is therefore expected to wait for two signings at the start of 2027. In the meantime, the article notes he has been creative in dealing with the emergency, as he did last year when he dropped Cristante into defence, and in pre-season he played Hermoso in midfield.

Roma did not return to Rome after their 5-2 win over Udinese on Friday evening and instead spent the night in Friuli to prepare for their Champions League trip to Manchester United on Tuesday 3 November at Old Trafford. Gian Piero Gasperini's side trained this morning at Udinese's sports centre, as guests of the Bianconeri club. Players who featured the previous night completed a light recovery session, while the others did a more intense workout. Roma publicly thanked the Friulian club for its hospitality through a message on their social channels. The squad will travel to Trieste this afternoon and fly directly to Manchester without passing through Rome, a choice made to save energy and optimise timings in an increasingly congested calendar. Gasperini will hold his press conference tomorrow, followed by a training session on the Old Trafford pitch. Svilar, Koné and, barring a surprise, Dybala will all miss the trip to face Manchester United. Belgian goalkeeper Svilar is scheduled to return after the November international break, while there is greater hope for Koné and Dybala, the Argentine known as La Joya, ahead of the match against Sassuolo on 7 November. Timings are not yet certain, as Gasperini himself stressed after the Udine game, explaining that the week that has just begun will be decisive in assessing the condition of the injured players. Gasperini is considering several changes to the side that routed Udinese. Gianluca Mancini, who was on the bench on Friday, is set to return to the starting XI in defence. The main doubt concerns the number ten position, where Niccolò Pisilli could be preferred to Rodrigo Mora, who scored two goals in a row against Cagliari and Udinese. The switch would bring greater balance and intensity to a game that will also require close attention to defensive work. Soulé and Malen remain fixed starters, both having been substituted in the second half on Friday partly to conserve their energy. Roma go into the European fixture in the best form of the season, on the back of a run of convincing performances and a group that continues to respond despite heavy absences. Gasperini now seeks another test of maturity, this time on the Old Trafford stage, against a Manchester United side in difficulty but still dangerous because of the quality of their players.

Roma have scored 28 goals in their first ten Serie A matches, a club record after the 5-2 win at Udinese, beating the previous high of 26. Five different players scored in the win, including two defenders, and the coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side have already turned their attention to the Champions League trip to Manchester United. Roma will not return to the capital. The squad will train in Udine and travel directly to England to prepare for the Champions League fixture at Old Trafford. Mancini could return to the starting line-up from the first minute, while Pisilli is pushing Mora for a place in the attacking midfield area. Svilar, Koné and probably Dybala remain unavailable, and there could be changes for the match against Sassuolo. Manchester United are in crisis, having taken nine matches without a win and collecting just seven points in the Premier League. Michael Carrick, who scored twice in the infamous 7-1 defeat of Roma in 2007, is under pressure, and Tuesday's game against the Giallorossi could be decisive for his future. The Spanish referee Gil Manzano will take charge of Manchester United against Roma on Tuesday evening. Roma drew 1-1 with Fenerbahçe under him, a game marked by refereeing controversy. Del Cerro Grande will be the VAR, with Fernandez as assistant. In Serie A, Lazio came from behind to beat Cagliari 2-1, with goals from Isaksen and Pinamonti, moving up to 28 points. Roma stay third on 24 points, behind Inter as well. Two penalty appeals were turned down at the Olimpico, fuelling debate. Frosinone beat Torino 2-0 in the other afternoon match. Como, coached by Fabregas, beat Venezia 1-0 with a Da Cunha penalty to move to 23 points, one behind Roma, after a spot-kick first awarded to the visitors was overturned by VAR for a handball by Milla. Udinese have sacked Runjaic after a disastrous start, leaving them second from bottom with five points from ten matches. Paolo Zanetti is the leading candidate to replace him, with contacts already under way.

Roma are on an unstoppable run, with a 5-2 away win at Udinese the latest result in a record-setting start under Gian Piero Gasperini this season. The side have scored 28 goals in their first 10 matches, surpassing the 26 scored in 1960/61 and 2016/17. Counting the end of last season, Roma have gone 17 Serie A matches unbeaten, with Gasperini now targeting the 19-match unbeaten run Claudio Ranieri achieved two seasons ago, a mark matched only by the continuous run of Liedholm and Eriksson in 1984 and Andreazzoli and Garcia in 2013. Donyell Malen is outscoring Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane and is the league's top scorer, but he is not the only source of goals. Roma are flying on the wings of their attacking midfielders, with Mora and Soulé standing out. Everyone is finding the net for Roma, although four heavyweight names are still missing from the scoresheet, including Paulo Dybala. The absence of Dybala and Manu Koné is not a problem: without them, Gasperini's side have almost doubled their points-per-game average. The focus is already shifting to Manchester United, with the club's Champions League campaign now on the horizon. Roma's first league-phase matchday is 8 September 2026, and the squad's form has given the club a strong platform heading into the European fixtures.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have set a club record of 28 goals after their first 10 Serie A matches, and the coach's influence is being felt in more than the table. Roma have also gone 17 league games unbeaten, a run that began seven months ago, and have scored with 14 different players. The article credits Gasperini's method, which has made a difference since last season, with improving both the collective behaviour of the team and the development of individual players, young and experienced alike. The clearest evidence of that work, the article argues, comes when Roma are under pressure. Several key players have been missing for weeks: Svilar, Koné and Dybala are all regular starters, and Pellegrini is also absent. Cristante has returned after three matches out and was a major presence at Udine. Despite the lack of players of real quality, Gasperini has kept his idea of football intact, and the team has not lost the identity that marks every match he prepares. At Udine, Gasperini made changes during the game to keep his 3-4-2-1 system without abandoning it. In the closing stages he pushed Ghilardi wide on the right, asking him to finish the match against Udinese as a winger, and moved Molina up into the attacking midfield role behind Castro and in line with Pisilli. Mancini came on for Soulé, taking Ghilardi's place in defence, and Ghilardi's move into midfield pushed Molina further forward. The attack was therefore reshaped from the starting line-up, which had Malen alongside Soulé and Mora. The second-half moves also raise the question of January reinforcements. Given the seriousness of Pellegrini's injury, added to the absence of the out-and-out striker who did not arrive in the summer, the article says Roma would benefit from two more attacking midfielders to give greater choice up front. Pisilli and Molina, a midfielder and a wide player, ended up in those positions at Udine. Gasperini is therefore expected to wait for two signings at the start of 2027. In the meantime, the article notes he has been creative in dealing with the emergency, as he did last year when he dropped Cristante into defence, and in pre-season he played Hermoso in midfield.

Roma have scored 28 goals in their first ten Serie A matches, a club record after the 5-2 win at Udinese, beating the previous high of 26. Five different players scored in the win, including two defenders, and the coach Gian Piero Gasperini's side have already turned their attention to the Champions League trip to Manchester United. Roma will not return to the capital. The squad will train in Udine and travel directly to England to prepare for the Champions League fixture at Old Trafford. Mancini could return to the starting line-up from the first minute, while Pisilli is pushing Mora for a place in the attacking midfield area. Svilar, Koné and probably Dybala remain unavailable, and there could be changes for the match against Sassuolo. Manchester United are in crisis, having taken nine matches without a win and collecting just seven points in the Premier League. Michael Carrick, who scored twice in the infamous 7-1 defeat of Roma in 2007, is under pressure, and Tuesday's game against the Giallorossi could be decisive for his future. The Spanish referee Gil Manzano will take charge of Manchester United against Roma on Tuesday evening. Roma drew 1-1 with Fenerbahçe under him, a game marked by refereeing controversy. Del Cerro Grande will be the VAR, with Fernandez as assistant. In Serie A, Lazio came from behind to beat Cagliari 2-1, with goals from Isaksen and Pinamonti, moving up to 28 points. Roma stay third on 24 points, behind Inter as well. Two penalty appeals were turned down at the Olimpico, fuelling debate. Frosinone beat Torino 2-0 in the other afternoon match. Como, coached by Fabregas, beat Venezia 1-0 with a Da Cunha penalty to move to 23 points, one behind Roma, after a spot-kick first awarded to the visitors was overturned by VAR for a handball by Milla. Udinese have sacked Runjaic after a disastrous start, leaving them second from bottom with five points from ten matches. Paolo Zanetti is the leading candidate to replace him, with contacts already under way.

Roma are on an unstoppable run, with a 5-2 away win at Udinese the latest result in a record-setting start under Gian Piero Gasperini this season. The side have scored 28 goals in their first 10 matches, surpassing the 26 scored in 1960/61 and 2016/17. Counting the end of last season, Roma have gone 17 Serie A matches unbeaten, with Gasperini now targeting the 19-match unbeaten run Claudio Ranieri achieved two seasons ago, a mark matched only by the continuous run of Liedholm and Eriksson in 1984 and Andreazzoli and Garcia in 2013. Donyell Malen is outscoring Ballon d'Or winner Harry Kane and is the league's top scorer, but he is not the only source of goals. Roma are flying on the wings of their attacking midfielders, with Mora and Soulé standing out. Everyone is finding the net for Roma, although four heavyweight names are still missing from the scoresheet, including Paulo Dybala. The absence of Dybala and Manu Koné is not a problem: without them, Gasperini's side have almost doubled their points-per-game average. The focus is already shifting to Manchester United, with the club's Champions League campaign now on the horizon. Roma's first league-phase matchday is 8 September 2026, and the squad's form has given the club a strong platform heading into the European fixtures.

Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma have set a club record of 28 goals after their first 10 Serie A matches, and the coach's influence is being felt in more than the table. Roma have also gone 17 league games unbeaten, a run that began seven months ago, and have scored with 14 different players. The article credits Gasperini's method, which has made a difference since last season, with improving both the collective behaviour of the team and the development of individual players, young and experienced alike. The clearest evidence of that work, the article argues, comes when Roma are under pressure. Several key players have been missing for weeks: Svilar, Koné and Dybala are all regular starters, and Pellegrini is also absent. Cristante has returned after three matches out and was a major presence at Udine. Despite the lack of players of real quality, Gasperini has kept his idea of football intact, and the team has not lost the identity that marks every match he prepares. At Udine, Gasperini made changes during the game to keep his 3-4-2-1 system without abandoning it. In the closing stages he pushed Ghilardi wide on the right, asking him to finish the match against Udinese as a winger, and moved Molina up into the attacking midfield role behind Castro and in line with Pisilli. Mancini came on for Soulé, taking Ghilardi's place in defence, and Ghilardi's move into midfield pushed Molina further forward. The attack was therefore reshaped from the starting line-up, which had Malen alongside Soulé and Mora. The second-half moves also raise the question of January reinforcements. Given the seriousness of Pellegrini's injury, added to the absence of the out-and-out striker who did not arrive in the summer, the article says Roma would benefit from two more attacking midfielders to give greater choice up front. Pisilli and Molina, a midfielder and a wide player, ended up in those positions at Udine. Gasperini is therefore expected to wait for two signings at the start of 2027. In the meantime, the article notes he has been creative in dealing with the emergency, as he did last year when he dropped Cristante into defence, and in pre-season he played Hermoso in midfield.