Roma's 4–0 opening-day win over Fiorentina overshadowed by traffic chaos and parking crisis at Olimpico

Roma return to the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday 13 October to face Real Madrid in a fixture charged with emotion both on and off the pitch. The match marks Mourinho's return to Rome and Roma's first Champions League home game in seven years. Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria at 13:30 on Tuesday 13 October. The team will train at 15:00, with the session open to media for the first 15 minutes. Real Madrid will conduct their morning session in Spain before arriving in Rome in the afternoon. Mourinho's press conference will take place at the Olimpico at 18:00.

Roma face Como in a tactical battle between Fabregas and Gasperini, two coaches with contrasting philosophies seeking to dictate play. Gasperini is considering deploying Rodrigo Mora on the trequarti in support of Dybala and Malen, a move with both technical and tactical significance. Against Como's four-man defence, this setup would allow Mora to exploit space between the lines and combine quickly with two players whose strengths complement each other: Dybala's ability to read situations others miss and Malen's capacity to attack space immediately. Marten de Roon is expected to anchor midfield, providing equilibrium and tactical knowledge of Gasperini's systems crucial against Como's possession-based approach. Evan N'Dicka is favoured over Leonardo Balerdi in defence, with Nahuel Molina and Wesley operating on the flanks. The match's decisive factor may lie on the wings. Como build superiority through passing and draw pressure to free players in space; Roma counterpress through individual aggression and advanced recovery. The fullbacks will be fundamental, needing to support attacking play without leaving the corridors Como exploits. Molina and Wesley could prove decisive both in pressing and by forcing Como's wingers to defend, preventing Fabregas's side from developing their game with continuity. The sides have met twice previously in contrasting circumstances. At the Olimpico, Roma imposed themselves through intense pressing, with Wesley scoring the decisive goal. In the return fixture, a side lacking clear attacking reference points gradually lost shape and ceded initiative to Como. However, this Roma present different offensive possibilities. The presence of Malen, Dybala's talent and Mora's potential deployment offer Gasperini solutions capable of troubling a well-organised team like Fabregas's. Roma must start aggressively, press immediately and prevent Como from gaining confidence in their passing patterns.

Andrea Stramaccioni, a technical commentator for DAZN and former Roma Primavera manager, has analysed the Como–Roma fixture scheduled for 11 October at 12:30 in an interview with Gazzetta dello Sport. He positions the match as a contest between two of Inter's principal challengers, noting that both teams strengthened significantly in the final stages of last season and resumed this campaign more competitive, though Inter still hold an edge. Stramaccioni identified the tactical battleground as one between Como's model of technical possession and horizontal circulation—characteristic of Cesc Fabregas's setup—and Roma's aggression, speed and vertical intensity under Gian Piero Gasperini. He said: "The key will favour whoever succeeds in removing more 'certainties' from their opponent, that is, preventing them from playing as they wish by imposing their own rhythm." He predicted Como will employ rotations to draw Roma's key markers out of position and create space in transition. Against this, Roma can replicate their dominant performance in last season's home fixture, when they limited Como's possession and suffocated their creative sources, though he cautioned against an imbalanced approach. On Roma's midfield balance, Stramaccioni highlighted Lorenzo Pellegrini's potential dual role as a left-sided player who can drop deeper. He noted that in all four Serie A meetings between Gasperini and Fabregas—each won two apiece—a midfielder with an "equilibrating" function has started in Roma's attacking three: Pasalic and Samardzic against Atalanta, Pellegrini against Como. Alternatively, Matías Soulé could be deployed in a match requiring greater defensive sacrifice, as occurred against Inter. On the respective playmakers, Stramaccioni assessed Paulo Dybala and Nicolás Paz: "Both are players who captivate lovers of the game. They are obviously at different stages of their development and have different characteristics. Paulo has won everything; he is a player who determines outcomes and functions as a second striker. Nico has crystalline talent and is more of a number ten, capable of dropping deeper or starting decentred on the right. Today, however, Paulo is slightly more decisive in Roma than Nico is in Como."