Roma travel to Turin for fourth-day clash with Dybala available and Koné sidelined

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.

Emanuele Lulli will face Alessio Cacciamani on the same flank when Roma visit Torino this evening, a meeting that reflects two contrasting paths taken by Italy's youth systems. Roma pursued Cacciamani throughout the summer as a prospect to support Gasperini, but Torino resisted and manager Ignazio Abate chose to give the teenager playing time instead of selling him. Roma eventually discovered Lulli as an alternative. Lulli's emergence this season cannot be attributed solely to Cacciamani's departure, yet the two stories intertwine meaningfully. The space Roma might have created for a purchased young talent—potentially by moving Wesley to the right—became fertile ground for a player developed at Trigoria. Gasperini first prevented Lulli from joining Avellino on loan in the summer, then granted him the opportunity to prove himself in the Roma first team. Lulli has become one of the pleasant surprises of the season's opening weeks. The narrative extends beyond the match itself. Youth academies produce talent, but talent without opportunity remains only a promise. Cacciamani is emerging because Torino had the courage to retain him and Abate the conviction to play him. Lulli is achieving the same because Gasperini, partly through circumstances created by the transfer market, kept him at the club and gave him his chance to compete. Not every Primavera player will become Serie A material, and every young talent should not be kept out of fear of future regret. Yet before looking elsewhere for what is missing, it is sometimes worth examining what lies within. Tonight Cacciamani and Lulli will face each other. While not a headline-grabbing duel, it could tell one of the match's most important stories: young players can emerge only when someone has the courage to let them play.

Alessio Cacciamani will face Roma and Gian Piero Gasperini on tomorrow evening when Torino visit, just days after signing a contract renewal with the Serie A club. The 19-year-old, who attracted Roma's interest during the summer, has committed to Torino until 30 June 2031 with an improved salary package. Gasperini had identified Cacciamani as a left-sided talent to develop and integrate into the first team, envisioning a role in both Serie A and European competition, potentially alternating with Wesley or Molina. The renewal strengthens Torino's negotiating position economically, though Roma retain the financial means to pursue another attempt for the young forward—possibly in January or more likely in the summer of 2027. Other Italian clubs and English sides are also monitoring his progress. Cacciamani's early season form has been encouraging. He has started all five of Torino's fixtures across Serie A and Coppa Italia, recording one assist in the league. The prospect of facing the club that pursued him intensely offers him motivation to demonstrate his readiness for the highest level. Roma continue to observe from the sidelines, aware that Torino may be forced to sell next summer if a significant offer arrives, particularly if the club decides to redirect spending toward an attacking player in the January window. The article notes that Gasperini and Roma's scout D'Amico are watching his development closely. Torino hope Cacciamani will immediately prove capable of performing at an elite level, thereby justifying their confidence in him and potentially deterring some interest. However, the competitive landscape around him is expanding. Beyond Roma's continued interest, other major Italian clubs and several Premier League sides are tracking the teenager. The club faces a delicate balance: rewarding his potential with renewed terms while managing the likelihood that a well-resourced suitor may tempt him away within two transfer windows.

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.

David Di Michele has predicted a battle at Torino tonight, describing the fixture between Roma and the Torino side as historically contested and full of intensity. The former footballer was speaking exclusively ahead of the match. Di Michele praised Gasperini's work and emphasised the strength of the squad's collective awareness. He reflected on the modern evolution of full-back play, noting that inverted positions have become standard practice in contemporary football. "Once you played only on your own flank," he said, "but now football has changed. Even when I was playing, various coaches were experimenting with the inverted foot, and I benefited greatly from it because you have more solutions. Certainly with Gasperini I would have found myself well given what my characteristics were." Addressing Gasperini's view that a squad now comprises 20 players of equal quality rather than a division between starters and substitutes, Di Michele acknowledged the shift while noting that first-choice players remain defined when chasing major objectives. "Certainly football has changed, today you need your entire squad—that's clear," he explained. "But if we analyse it, it's obvious that when you come to play for important objectives, the starters are well defined and you change less. Over the course of an entire season it's clear you need everyone, but every team has its own reliability and its own balance with a certain formation. If you remove Dybala you don't have a substitute with the same qualities, for example."

Roma face Torino in Serie A on 14 September at 18:30, four days after their Champions League return, with head coach Gian Piero Gasperini managing squad rotation following the trip to Istanbul. The starting XI appears largely settled, though midfield and the right flank remain open questions. Svilar will start in goal, with the familiar trio of Mancini, Ndicka and Hermoso in defence; Ghilardi is the alternative. Wesley is expected to hold the left-back spot, while the right side is contested between Lulli and Rensch, with Lulli marginally favoured, though Gasperini indicated in his press conference that his condition would need to be assessed before the match. The main shift could come in midfield. Manu Koné picked up a knee problem against Fenerbahçe, opening the door for Nicolò Pisilli to partner Bryan Cristante; Koné has attempted recovery and remains an option. Dybala and Donyell Malen are set pieces in attack, with Matías Soulé the likely choice to complete the forward line, while Rodrigo Mora stands ready either from the start or as an in-match solution. The probable Roma formation is 3-4-2-1: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Lulli, Cristante, Pisilli, Wesley; Soulé, Dybala; Malen.