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Roma travel to Lecce for second matchday as Gasperini confirms Mora and calls on De Roon
·31 August 2026·1h ago

Roma travel to Lecce for second matchday as Gasperini confirms Mora and calls on De Roon

Source: GialloRossi.net

Roma travel to Lecce tonight at 18:30 for the second Serie A matchday, seeking to build on their 4-0 opening-day victory over Fiorentina and maintain their perfect record. Gasperini's side will be bolstered by two new arrivals: Leonardo Balerdi, brought in for the bench, and Marten de Roon, officially confirmed yesterday evening and immediately integrated into the travelling squad. Gasperini described both as "captains", emphasising that their arrival adds physicality, experience and personality to a squad facing a long season.

The coach defended his team's opening performance in a press conference yesterday, insisting that despite Fiorentina's subsequent 3-0 home defeat to Frosinone, Roma's display at the Olimpico was "a proof of absolute value for intensity, quality and solidity". He intends to field a very similar starting XI at the Via del Mare. Rodrigo Mora continues to impress and is on track to start again in attack, while the main tactical question centres on the right flank: Emanuele Lulli and Nahuel Molina remain in contention, with Lulli having made strong use of his opening opportunity while Molina gradually recovers his best condition. Matías Soulé also remains an option as a right-sided midfielder, a possibility Gasperini is considering but which appears to be a contingency rather than the first choice.

Lecce arrive with momentum from their own opening win and will look to exploit home advantage under Eusebio Di Francesco. Roma will need rhythm, aggression and concentration to maintain their intensity; Gasperini wants a team capable of imposing its football again and confirming the mental and physical solidity shown against Fiorentina. A second consecutive victory would allow Roma to approach an increasingly demanding fixture list with genuine confidence.

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Roma travel to Lecce on matchday two, looking to build on their emphatic 4-0 opening-day victory over Fiorentina. Gian Piero Gasperini's squad has been strengthened by two new arrivals: Leonardo Balerdi and Marten de Roon, both described by the coach as "captains" who bring physicality, experience and personality to the group. De Roon, a 31-year-old Dutch midfielder, joined Roma from Atalanta on a permanent deal confirmed on 30 August, reuniting him with Gasperini under whom he spent much of his career at Bergamo. Roma News reports the transfer involved a maximum of one million euros in performance bonuses with no fixed fee, following De Roon's request to play under Gasperini at the club.

Gasperini defended his team's opening display against Fiorentina as "a proof of absolute value for intensity, quality and solidity" and intends to field a similar starting XI at Lecce's Via del Mare. Rodrigo Mora is on track to start again in attack, while the main tactical question concerns the right flank, where Emanuele Lulli and Nahuel Molina remain in contention, with Matías Soulé also an option as a right-sided midfielder. Gasperini also addressed criticism of de Roon from Roma supporters, saying: "He is a good person. He is not liked by Roma fans? I wasn't liked either when I arrived," expressing confidence in the midfielder's professionalism and character ahead of what the coach sees as an increasingly demanding fixture list.

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Testo Originale / Source Text

Dopo il debutto scintillante contro la Fiorentina, per la Roma di Gian Piero Gasperini arriva il primo esame in trasferta. Oggi alle 18:30 i giallorossi saranno di scena al Via del Mare contro il Lecce per la seconda giornata di campionato, con l’obiettivo di dare continuità al 4-0 dell’esordio e…

Read the full article in Italian at GialloRossi.net.

Read original on GialloRossi.net

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