Soulé reclaims Roma starting role as he prepares to face Greenwood in Champions League

Roma will make their first appearance in the Champions League since 2019, facing Fenerbahçe in the League Phase on Thursday at 18:45 at the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium in Istanbul. The club's return to Europe's top competition marks a significant milestone after a seven-year absence from the continental stage. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's squad will depart for Turkey on 9 September to begin preparations for the match. The timing comes after three consecutive Serie A victories in the opening three rounds, with Roma now turning their attention to their first European fixture of the season. The squad qualified for the Champions League following third place in Serie A last season. Upon arrival in Istanbul, Gasperini will hold a pre-match press conference at 17:00 Italian time, where he will preview the fixture and assess his squad's condition. The team will then train at 17:30 Italian time in their final session before the match, an opportunity to clarify remaining doubts over the starting XI for Thursday's opening European tie.

Paolo Di Canio has offered a cautiously optimistic assessment of Roma's prospects in the new Champions League campaign. The former Lazio striker, speaking to La Stampa, said Roma "can enjoy themselves" in the competition, though he stopped short of making bolder predictions for the club. Di Canio identified PSG as the main favourites for the trophy, with Bayern Munich, Barcelona and Arsenal as their principal challengers. On the Italian clubs in the competition, he said: "Inter can progress. Jones will have an impact similar to McTominay. The others, with fortunate draws, can aim for the quarter-finals." He also noted that Como could be the surprise package, while Napoli are hampered by tired central midfielders.

Roma begin their Champions League campaign tomorrow with a trip to Istanbul to face Fenerbahçe. The squad will travel in the afternoon, with the pre-match press conference scheduled for 18:00 local time. The team will then hold a training session at Fenerbahçe's stadium rather than at their Rome base, a departure from recent practice.

Roma return to the Champions League for the first time since March 2019 tonight in Istanbul against Fenerbahce, with Gasperini naming an unchanged side from Saturday's Serie A victory over Atalanta. Paulo Dybala, the 32-year-old Argentine absent from the competition for four and a half years since Juventus faced Villarreal in March 2022, will lead the team's attempt to translate the attacking form that has already impressed in Serie A wins over Fiorentina, Lecce and Atalanta. Dybala has played 253 minutes across Roma's opening three league fixtures under Gasperini's management. Nahuel Molina is the sole fresh name in the starting eleven after building his career in Europe with Atlético Madrid and the Argentine national team. The squad will draw on the experience of players for whom the Champions League anthem is familiar, with Svilar, Mancini, N'Dicka, Hermoso, Koné, Cristante, Wesley and Malen all named. Malen, who leads the Serie A scoring chart this season, will compete at elite European level for the first time in Roma colours. The night represents a transformation of nostalgia into present pride on the competition's stage, where Dybala has most thrived in his career.

Roma enter the Champions League for the first time in seven years on Thursday evening against Fenerbahce in Istanbul, arriving on the back of three consecutive Serie A victories and with a squad that has absorbed Gian Piero Gasperini's identity. The club intends to bring the same aggression and forward-thinking approach that has impressed domestically to the continent's elite competition, though the standard will inevitably be higher. Paulo Dybala will be central to Roma's European night. Gasperini appears intent on leaning on his most experienced players to guide a return to the highest stage after a long absence. The squad blends proven European hands with Champions League debutants: Mancini, Koné, Wesley, Pisilli, Mora, Ghilardi and Lulli will compete in the competition for the first time, while De Roon, Molina, Balerdi, Hermoso, Malen and Dybala bring substantial European pedigree. Gasperini himself knows these nights well from his time at Atalanta and will attempt to transfer that experience to Roma without changing the team's character—one built on constant attacking intent and refusal to surrender. Matías Soulé is among the most anticipated performers. After physical problems last season and a summer marked by transfer speculation, the Argentine has rediscovered form with two consecutive goals against Lecce and Atalanta, plus a 93rd-minute strike that set the Olimpico alight. He now faces Fenerbahce, featuring Mason Greenwood, one of Roma's major targets during the summer transfer window. Roma arrive in Istanbul with confidence and a squad mixing veterans and debutants. While not obliged to compete as equals with Europe's strongest sides, they have the tools to become an awkward obstacle. Gasperini knows it well: seven years on, Roma return among the stars—and they intend to do so without fear.

Matías Soulé is set to play in the UEFA Champions League for the first time in a Roma shirt when the club visit Fenerbahce, the Turkish side managed by Vedat Muriqi, the former Lazio striker, and featuring Mason Greenwood on the right wing. Greenwood was a target Gian Piero Gasperini pursued during the summer transfer window—the position Soulé holds—and the Argentine remained at Roma throughout the market despite interest from several Premier League clubs. Soulé has recovered from a pubic bone injury that kept him sidelined over the summer and the pre-season. He spent the entire close season working to overcome the issue and regain full fitness, arriving back overweight and below his optimal condition before the squad's training camp. Gasperini has now restored him to the centre of his tactical plan, deployed alongside Paulo Dybala in attack. The Argentine was available for sale at a valuation of 40 million euros, but Gasperini confirmed there was never "a real proposal" that met Roma's demands. This is Soulé's first Champions League appearance for Roma; he last played in the competition four years ago while at Juventus. Gasperini said of Soulé's rehabilitation: "Before the retreat he had spent a long time out and arrived overweight and not yet at 100% fitness. During preparation he got back into shape. Now he is at the top again: he has put in excellent performances and recovered completely from both a physical and athletic standpoint."