Roma travel to Torino for fourth-day clash; Dybala in, N'Dicka out

Leonardo Balerdi will make his first start for Roma in the match against Torino at the Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino, kick-off 18:30. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has selected the Argentine defender for the fixture after Balerdi featured from the bench in recent matches. Bareldi has already featured in Gasperini's squad rotation during the early weeks of the 2026-27 season, coming off the bench and earning the coach's confidence. The start against Torino marks a significant opportunity as Gasperini begins to rotate his defensive options in light of the demanding schedule combining Serie A and UEFA Champions League fixtures. The remaining defensive lineup will be confirmed in the official team sheet closer to kick-off.

Roma visit Torino in the fourth round of Serie A on 14 September, seeking to extend their perfect start to the season. The Giallorossi have won their opening three matches and will aim to reach six points and consolidate top spot, though they arrive after drawing their first match of the campaign in Istanbul. Roma's unbeaten streak gives them a strong platform heading into the fixture. Paulo Dybala is available for selection, while Manu Koné is sidelined for the trip.

Inter scouts attended Cagliari's match against Atalanta to monitor midfielder Alessandro Romano and striker Paul Mendy, two emerging Serie A talents. Romano has been one of the season's early revelations and is expected to earn his maiden Italy call-up during the international break. Mendy, younger and still developing, has scored all three of his Serie A goals against Atalanta. Romano arrived at Cagliari on loan from Roma with a €4.9M conditional obligation to buy after impressing at Spezia last season. Roma allowed him to leave permanently. He represented Switzerland at youth level before switching allegiance under Roberto Mancini's persuasion. Mendy is a Cagliari academy product who progressed from their Primavera side to the first team late last season and has recorded four goals in 15 appearances. According to Gianluca Di Marzio, Inter view both as prospects for the future, though the midfielder is the more established prospect while the striker remains a work in progress. Inter would negotiate solely with Cagliari for either player. Scouts are conducting standard due diligence; both have performed well so far. The development represents a significant miss for Roma, given Romano's trajectory. Inter's midfield is already well-stocked, but their offensive strategy will centre on Marcus Thuram, with potential interest in strong prospects should they part with a star player and promote Francesco Pio Esposito.

Roma visit Torino in the fourth round of Serie A on 14 September, seeking to extend their perfect start to the season. The Giallorossi have won their opening three matches and will aim to reach six points and consolidate top spot, though they arrive after drawing their first match of the campaign in Istanbul. Roma's unbeaten streak gives them a strong platform heading into the fixture. Paulo Dybala is available for selection, while Manu Koné is sidelined for the trip.

Walter Sabatini, the former sporting director who built Roma into title contenders, has returned to football as a consultant at Pro Patria, the Serie D club where he ended his playing career 43 years ago. Speaking to Corriere della Sera, Sabatini reflected on his life in the game and offered observations on current Italian football, including pointed comments about his former club and its rivals. Sabatini left Roma's hierarchy years ago and has now chosen to restart in a modest setting, describing it as "a sort of catharsis" and "entering the starting box once more". He acknowledged struggling in an environment that does not accommodate his ideas: "I need agility and speed. I don't hide that I'm finding myself uncomfortable and I don't want to waste my final years. I'm entering perhaps the third or fourth age of my life." Yet he retains the fighting spirit of his early career, when he began working for Triestina at 39. He still relies on instinct over data analysis: "When I see a player I must feel something immediately at first meeting. He must strike me like lightning. The only yardstick of evaluation I conceive is the eye, sensitivity, passion." On Roma specifically, Sabatini was emphatic: "Roma. It's my life, don't make me say anything else because I've developed a complex about being a boring man." He praised Paulo Dybala as "a residual champion of our championship", the only player of the calibre that graced Serie A in the 1990s—when Ronaldo, Platini and Rummenigge competed in Italy. Of Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma's current head coach, Sabatini said: "I have great admiration for his work as a technician but I would have entered into a collision course." He also expressed regret over his spell at Inter, calling himself "a meteor" that earthlings barely noticed pass. On the current league standings, Sabatini noted "great euphoria" within Roma's environment and "spiritual cohesion that makes everyone feel unbeatable", but judged Inter superior: "For the quality of the squad and depth of choices, Inter are a step above everyone." Sabatini watches every match in Serie A and finds inspiration in each one. He remains characteristically combative about his career and health, describing himself as "bulimic for life" and comparing his condition to Kafka's protagonist: "Guilty but no one knows of what crime."

Roma's radio stations have dissected Gasperini's tactics ahead of tonight's match against Torino, with particular focus on Paulo Dybala's continued presence in the starting XI and the coach's squad rotation policy. Nando Orsi argued that Roma will remain unbeaten as long as they maintain their physical condition, saying the team has adopted Gasperini's system entirely: "The way Gasp plays is this: as long as Roma is in condition they will be unbeatable, Roma has become gasperinised, it plays exactly like Atalanta. But there are moments when you have to catch your breath and there you have to be careful." Francesca Ferrazza suggested Torino are preparing defensive traps from the 1980s to stop Roma's attacking approach. Gasperini's decision to keep Dybala on the pitch for consecutive matches rather than rotate him drew extensive discussion. David Rossi noted that the coach is transmitting psychological conviction to the Argentine forward, saying Gasperini wants him to understand: "You play, you're fine, you must play. And I'll show you: I remove everyone except you." Gianluca Piacentini acknowledged concerns that hierarchy decisions could create unrest within the squad, with some players beginning to feel sidelined, yet noted that Gasperini has used almost all his squad members: "With the exception of Gollini, they have all played. With the exception of Cristante, everyone has played, including De Roon and Koulierakis." Roberto Pruzzo observed that Dybala appears in optimal condition and was specifically prepared to reach the winter break in top form. Fabio Petruzzi added that Dybala's unconditional confidence from Gasperini has improved his self-belief: "When a player goes into a challenge, if he goes in weakly he gets hurt. I saw Dybala changed, especially in his running." Mario Corsi criticised Roma's lack of a left winger, noting that Rodrigo Mora is excellent but performs a different type of role, while criticising the club's previous failures to sign other targets. Daniele Lo Monaco reported that Roma had offered €35 million plus bonuses and a resale percentage for an unspecified winger before the player joined Milan for €50 million plus bonuses instead. Tonight's fixture will test whether Roma can maintain their form against Torino's expected defensive intensity after their midweek European match.

Gian Piero Gasperini fielded questions from journalists ahead of Roma's fourth-round Serie A fixture against Torino at Stadio Olimpico Grande Torino. The head coach confirmed two key absences from the squad: Wesley suffered a heavy knock in the previous match and had not yet recovered, while Evan N'Dicka contracted flu overnight and did not travel to the stadium. Gasperini expressed strong confidence in Santiago Castro's development. "Castro is performing very well in all situations where he is involved," the coach said. "His condition is good compared to the beginning of the season. We all expect a lot from him, but we are very convinced because he is a player who deserves it and has great qualities." On the availability of attacking options across the squad, Gasperini noted that Roma have fewer attacking players than many other clubs in the league, and that the team recovered Lorenzo Pellegrini only two days before the match. "We hope to always be at full strength," he said, "because in modern football there is a place for everyone at different moments." Asked about Donyell Malen's display in his debut at the same venue, Gasperini reflected: "I had found a great player with important numbers." The comments underscored Roma's injury challenges and their hopes for Castro to develop into a key contributor as the season progresses.

Roma's team coach arrived at Stadio Grande Torino on 14 September with just over an hour remaining before the 18:30 kickoff against Torino. The squad and entire staff were on hand for the match. Gasperini's side faced a significant injury blow ahead of the fixture, with N'Dicka ruled out by intestinal flu. Leonardo Balerdi was drafted in to start, with Nahuel Molina deployed on the left side of defence. Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli were confirmed in the starting lineup for the match.

Roma travel to Turin on 14 September with their full squad available and Lorenzo Pellegrini in the matchday group for the first time this season after a lengthy absence. The squad selection remains fluid ahead of the fixture: the defence is expected to feature Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso, but uncertainty persists across the flanks, midfield and attack. Emanuele Lulli, Devyne Rensch and Nahuel Molina are competing for a starting place on the right, while Niccolò Pisilli and Manu Koné are in contention alongside Bryan Cristante in the middle. Up front, Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora are head-to-head for selection, though Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen are guaranteed starting positions. Roma carry an open run of eight consecutive Serie A victories into the match—five secured in the closing stages of last season and three in the opening rounds of the current campaign. Gian Piero Gasperini's side will pursue a ninth straight win to reclaim the league lead. The head coach faces a contrasting duel with opposing manager Ignazio Abate: Gasperini has 640 Serie A matches on his bench, placing him fifth in the all-time standings and closing in on Nils Liedholm's tally of 644. Abate, by contrast, is appearing in only his fourth Serie A match in charge. Roma Primavera, meanwhile, play at home today: at 15:00 they face Como at the Agostino Di Bartolomei ground in Trigoria, with coverage on Sportitalia. The youth side aim to remain unbeaten in the fourth matchday following a comeback victory in the Youth League against Fenerbahce. A starting confirmation is expected for Paratici with Morucci in attack, while Cama is highlighted among young players to watch closely.