Roma's squad arrives at Trigoria for pre-season training under Gasperini

Gian Piero Gasperini outlined one of his key ambitions for the season as Roma prepare to travel to Como on Sunday. The head coach said: "I feel their confidence, but I want to bring the Friedkin Group closer to Rome. Bringing greater presence with the centenary and the new stadium in mind is an objective of mine." Roma will return to their Trigoria base from Tuesday as players rejoin from international duty, ahead of the Como fixture and a demanding stretch of nine matches in 27 days. Gasperini also addressed the fitness of Bryan Cristante, who continues his recovery from injury. "Cristante is recovering but it will take time," the coach said. On Manu Koné, who did not leave the club during the transfer window, Gasperini explained: "For Koné there were no suitable timings." The coach also paid tribute to José Mourinho, describing him as "a special person." In a lighter moment with Como manager Cesc Fabregas, the two coaches discussed pressing tactics using a Subbuteo table football set, with Gasperini joking: "He beat me here, but on Sunday..."

Italy's Under-21 side secured qualification for the 2027 European Championship with a 6–2 demolition of Poland at the Stadio Adriatico in Pescara. The emphatic victory saw the Azzurrini overtake Poland at the top of their qualifying group on goal difference in a decisive head-to-head encounter. Niccolò Pisilli started in midfield for Italy and played the full 90 minutes, continuing his run of regular selection at Under-21 level. Fellow Roma player Emanuele Lulli remained on the bench throughout. Ndour scored twice in Italy's commanding performance, with additional goals from Koleosho, Lipani, Fini and former Roma forward Cherubini. Manager Baldini's side demonstrated overwhelming attacking prowess to seal their place at the 2027 tournament.

Donyell Malen spent a scheduled rest day exploring Rome as a tourist, visiting the Vatican Museums with his wife Delisha. The Dutch forward shared a selfie from the Stanza della Segnatura, the room decorated by Raffaello Sanzio. Malen has been at Roma since January, when he arrived from Aston Villa and Borussia Dortmund, and has quickly won over the Giallorossi supporters despite appearing to have played for the club for years. During the current international break, Malen declined a call-up to the Netherlands squad due to knee discomfort. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini granted the forward a rest day before training resumed at Trigoria on 6 October. Malen is expected to return to the attack for the trip to Como on 11 October.

Italy host Turkey at the Dall'Ara in Bologna in the fourth matchday of the UEFA Nations League group phase. The Italians come into the match off the back of a draw away to France, while Turkey suffered a 4–1 defeat to Italy in the reverse fixture a week earlier. Coach Roberto Mancini makes further squad rotation and hands Scamacca a starting position in attack. From Roma's perspective, Gianluca Mancini starts in defence for Italy, while Daniele Ghilardi does not feature in the squad. ITALY (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Barella, Romano, Doumbia; Vergara, Scamacca, Maldini. Coach: Roberto Mancini. Substitutes: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Scalvini, Calafiori, Kayode, Tonali, Fagioli, Frattesi, Cambiaghi, Inacio, S. Esposito, P. Esposito. TURKEY (4-3-3): Cakir; Celik, Bardakci, Kabak, Kadioglu; Elmali, Ozcan, Kahveci; Simsir, Akgun, Yuksek. Coach: Vincenzo Montella. Substitutes: Bayindir, Sengezer, Demiral, Topcu, Elmaz, Tiknaz, Kabasakal, Eskihellac, Fakili, Akturkoglu, Aydin, Gul.

Roma players will begin filtering back to Trigoria from tomorrow, 6 October, as Gian Piero Gasperini prepares his squad for the trip to Como on Sunday 11 October at 12:30. The club have trained with a reduced group during the international break, and the staggered returns will allow Gasperini to resume full preparations. Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi are expected back in the morning, with further arrivals throughout the day. The Italy contingent—Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli—will arrive in the evening. Manu Koné, the France midfielder, will be the last to rejoin, returning to the squad on Wednesday and training with the group a day behind the initial batch of returnees.

Gianluca Mancini has been selected for Italy's Nations League finale against Turkey this evening, with the Roma defender set to feature before returning to Trigoria and rejoining Gian Piero Gasperini's squad. Daniele Ghilardi, meanwhile, has been excluded from the national team setup and did not feature in any of the four matches during this international window. The headline news from the squad announcement centres on Samuele Inacio, a Borussia Dortmund midfielder born in 2008, who has the opportunity to earn his senior debut for Italy at just 18 years old. Ricci and Mandragora remain absent, while Romano, the Cagliari midfielder who missed the previous fixture in Paris, returns to the 23-man group. Romano is competing with Fagioli for a starting berth. For Roma's perspective, the focus rests on Mancini's possible involvement in what will be the final match before the international break ends and domestic action resumes.

Italy's Under-21 side secured qualification for the 2027 European Championship with a 6–2 demolition of Poland at the Stadio Adriatico in Pescara. The emphatic victory saw the Azzurrini overtake Poland at the top of their qualifying group on goal difference in a decisive head-to-head encounter. Niccolò Pisilli started in midfield for Italy and played the full 90 minutes, continuing his run of regular selection at Under-21 level. Fellow Roma player Emanuele Lulli remained on the bench throughout. Ndour scored twice in Italy's commanding performance, with additional goals from Koleosho, Lipani, Fini and former Roma forward Cherubini. Manager Baldini's side demonstrated overwhelming attacking prowess to seal their place at the 2027 tournament.

Italy's Under-21 side defeated Poland 6–2 in Pescara to finish top of qualifying Group 5 and secure direct passage to the European Under-21 Championship. The Azzurrini needed a two-goal victory to guarantee qualification, and they took control early through strikes from Koleosho and Ndour in the opening half-hour. Ndour added a second after the interval before Lipani made it 4–0, Poland pulled goals back through Mikolajewski in the 65th minute and Zewlakow at the 85th, but former Roma player Cherubini restored the lead within 60 seconds. Niccolò Pisilli featured in midfield for Italy, deployed alongside Ndour and Faticanti. The Roma midfielder attempted to find the target several times but was denied by Poland goalkeeper Lubik and the visiting defence. Lulli remained unused on the bench throughout; he had come off the bench against Armenia the previous Thursday.

Roma players will begin filtering back to Trigoria from tomorrow, 6 October, as Gian Piero Gasperini prepares his squad for the trip to Como on Sunday 11 October at 12:30. The club have trained with a reduced group during the international break, and the staggered returns will allow Gasperini to resume full preparations. Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi are expected back in the morning, with further arrivals throughout the day. The Italy contingent—Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli—will arrive in the evening. Manu Koné, the France midfielder, will be the last to rejoin, returning to the squad on Wednesday and training with the group a day behind the initial batch of returnees.

Italy host Turkey at the Dall'Ara in Bologna in the fourth matchday of the UEFA Nations League group phase. The Italians come into the match off the back of a draw away to France, while Turkey suffered a 4–1 defeat to Italy in the reverse fixture a week earlier. Coach Roberto Mancini makes further squad rotation and hands Scamacca a starting position in attack. From Roma's perspective, Gianluca Mancini starts in defence for Italy, while Daniele Ghilardi does not feature in the squad. ITALY (4-3-3): Donnarumma; Di Lorenzo, Mancini, Bastoni, Ruggeri; Barella, Romano, Doumbia; Vergara, Scamacca, Maldini. Coach: Roberto Mancini. Substitutes: Carnesecchi, Vicario, Scalvini, Calafiori, Kayode, Tonali, Fagioli, Frattesi, Cambiaghi, Inacio, S. Esposito, P. Esposito. TURKEY (4-3-3): Cakir; Celik, Bardakci, Kabak, Kadioglu; Elmali, Ozcan, Kahveci; Simsir, Akgun, Yuksek. Coach: Vincenzo Montella. Substitutes: Bayindir, Sengezer, Demiral, Topcu, Elmaz, Tiknaz, Kabasakal, Eskihellac, Fakili, Akturkoglu, Aydin, Gul.

Roma players will begin filtering back to Trigoria from tomorrow, 6 October, as Gian Piero Gasperini prepares his squad for the trip to Como on Sunday 11 October at 12:30. The club have trained with a reduced group during the international break, and the staggered returns will allow Gasperini to resume full preparations. Evan N'Dicka, Konstantinos Koulierakis and Giorgio De Marzi are expected back in the morning, with further arrivals throughout the day. The Italy contingent—Gianluca Mancini, Daniele Ghilardi, Niccolò Pisilli and Emanuele Lulli—will arrive in the evening. Manu Koné, the France midfielder, will be the last to rejoin, returning to the squad on Wednesday and training with the group a day behind the initial batch of returnees.

Roma's radio stations have focused heavily on the upcoming Como fixture and squad selection as Gasperini's side prepares for a demanding period. Checco Oddo Casano argued that Devyne Rensch, bought for €5 million, could be sold in January for a profit to bring in a stronger left-back in the style of Moreira. "Rensch is a little player who can fit in Roma's squad, but he'll hardly become a new Gosens, a new Zappacosta or a new Wesley," Casano said. "You bought him at a good price and you can make a profit—maybe in January you can sell him and get a stronger player to improve in that area of the pitch." David Rossi noted that Roma's last league defeat came in April when they lost to Inter at San Siro, despite playing a strong first half. He questioned whether Roma are genuinely weaker than Como or whether the psychological pressure of the fixture is one-sided. Gianluca Piacentini acknowledged Como's strength—demonstrating a solid project over the past season and a half—but emphasised that Roma are equally capable, with both teams among the three strongest in the league. Fabio Petruzzi said Roma and Como have shown significant growth over the last 18 months and play the best football in Italy, even better than Inter, though Inter's superior squad makes them favourites. Piero Torri predicted De Roon will start against Como, saying "he seems made specifically to play with Gasperini." Torri noted Lorenzo Pellegrini could play as a midfielder but has never featured in that role under Gasperini and hasn't played a match since April, making an immediate start unlikely. Torri stated: "I'll be called mad, but for me the Como match is harder than the Real Madrid one." Marco Valerio Corsi reported that Bryan Cristante appears to have a lateral knee ligament problem and will miss both Como and Real Madrid, with the length of the absence still unclear. Roberto Pruzzo called De Roon "a proven reliable player" and "a solid used buy," saying he cannot be ignored as an option despite potential fitness concerns over a run of ten consecutive matches. Nando Orsi said De Roon will "challenge the titularity of one of the two sacred monsters of midfield" if he is physically fit, having praised the signing in advance. Stephan El Shaarawy was not mentioned. Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso featured prominently in defenders' debate, with Carina suggesting N'Dicka was sidelined too easily and forming the best back three with Balerdi and Hermoso. Pruzzo still favoured Mancini, N'Dicka and Hermoso as the core defensive line, while Mattioli predicted Balerdi will become immovable once fully integrated into Italian football and Roma's system.