🔴Lecce-Roma: torna Soulè dal 1′, conferme sulle fasce per Gasperini

Roma completed two signings to strengthen their roster experience after failing to land their initial targets. Marten de Roon arrived from Atalanta after requesting to leave when manager Maurizio Sarri took charge, while Leonardo Balerdi joined on loan from Olympique Marseille with a €15M conditional obligation to buy. The club abandoned pursuit of fullback Jayden Oosterwolde from Fenerbahce after discovering the severity of his injury was worse than expected and declined to revise terms; youth product Emanuele Lulli has since proven serviceable at the position. Morato remained at Marseille after Nottingham Forest insisted on a permanent deal rather than the loan arrangement Roma sought; the defender departs having made 200 appearances over six seasons. The De Roon signing represents a strategic pivot away from signings made by the previous director that lacked head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's backing. De Roon will replace Neil El Aynaoui in the midfield, though El Aynaoui never quite fulfilled the potential he demonstrated at Lens. Roma are exploring additions to the forward line should opportunities arise, working on moves for Zenit's Luiz Henrique and Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling, according to reports. These potential signings could accelerate if Matías Soulé departs the club. El Aynaoui is headed to RB Leipzig for a potential €29M package, Sky reports. The strategic direction reflects Roma's preference for established performers unlikely to cause disruption while delivering solid contributions when selected.

Roma have signed midfielder Marten de Roon from Atalanta and defender Leonardo Balerdi from Olympique Marseille, but failed to complete moves for fullback Jayden Oosterwolde and defender Morato. The deal for Oosterwolde collapsed after Fenerbahçe's injury proved more severe than expected and the club refused to renegotiate terms; Roma are not pursuing alternative options as academy product Emanuele Lulli has proven serviceable. Morato joins on loan with a €15 million conditional obligation to buy after Nottingham Forest demanded an immediate permanent transfer—he had been a cornerstone of Marseille's plans for six seasons with 200 appearances. De Roon arrives as a replacement for Neil El Aynaoui, who is heading to RB Leipzig for a reported potential €29 million package. The midfielder asked to leave when his manager Maurizio Sarri called, and Atalanta allowed his departure without obstruction. Roma's recruitment reflects a broader shift away from signings made by the previous director that lacked Gian Piero Gasperini's approval, selecting instead established players unlikely to disrupt the group. Roma are also working on signings from Zenit's Luiz Henrique and Stuttgart's Jamie Leweling, according to reports from Alfredo Pedullà, with the possibility of adding both if Matías Soulé departs. El Aynaoui, who joined from Lens, never fully realised the potential he had shown in Ligue 1, and the club have opted to move forward with proven commodities expected to deliver solid contributions when called upon.

Serie A has officially confirmed that Roma's fixture against Torino will take place on Monday 14 September at 18:30. The scheduling change follows Roma's Champions League commitment: the club will face Fenerbahce away on Thursday 10 September, meaning they will play the Serie A fourth-round match in the Monday Night slot. The Champions League calendar has reshaped the domestic schedule for this round. Elsewhere in Serie A that weekend, Lazio will host Milan at 18:00 on Saturday, Napoli will play Bologna at 18:00 on Sunday, and Juventus will face Sassuolo at 20:45 on Sunday. Como will also compete on the Monday, having faced Lipsia in the Champions League at home on Thursday.

Donyell Malen has entered the Serie A record books after scoring 19 goals in his first 20 league matches for Roma, a rate unseen in the Italian top flight for nearly seven decades. The forward marked his debut with a hat-trick against Fiorentina and followed that with two goals in 20 minutes against Lecce, continuing a relentless goalscoring run that has captivated the Giallorossi. Only Gunnar Nordahl (20 goals in 1949) and José Altafini (20 goals between 1958 and 1959) have scored more in their opening 20 Serie A matches. Malen, the former Aston Villa player, has also established himself as Roma's most efficient finisher in the club's history by goals per 90 minutes — a clear margin ahead of previous benchmarks. His clinical finishing and immediate impact have made him a transformative addition to the squad.

Donyell Malen scored within five minutes of Roma's visit to Lecce, capitalising on a defensive error to finish past Falcone with a precise shot. The goal was his fourth in two league matches, moving him into second place in a Roma statistical milestone: he is now the second Roma player in the last 65 years to score at least four goals in the opening two Serie A fixtures of a season, after Vincenzo Montella in 2004-05. Malen's form has been remarkable. He arrived at Roma as one of Europe's most prolific forwards, with 19 goals in 20 matches and a goal-per-game average. His four-goal haul comes after a hat-trick against Fiorentina in the opening fixture, establishing him as a central threat in Roma's attack from the outset of the 2026-27 campaign.

Roma's fourth goal in their second league match of the season came under VAR review after Lecce players appealed for handball against Molina, but the incident was ruled regular. The match officials were: Chiffi (referee), Di Paolo (VAR), Paganessi (assistant VAR), with Imperiale and Cecconi as line assistants and Di Bello as fourth official. Roma had taken the lead early when Dybala struck from a fortunate rebound after being in a regular position when the ball came to him. The second goal arrived after 23 minutes when Wesley provided a cross for Malen, who was in a regular position and beat Falcone. Malen received a yellow card in the eighth minute for handball.

Roma travel to Lecce for Serie A's second matchday after successive opening-weekend victories. Both sides won their first fixtures: Lecce beat Venezia, while Roma produced a dominant performance against Fiorentina. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini will deploy the same forward pairing of Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen that proved effective in the Florence victory. Rodrigo Mora is in line for another start in midfield. Lecce boss Di Francesco is considering Geubbels from the start despite an underwhelming debut, as both sides seek to maintain their winning momentum in gameweek two.

Roma line up in a 3-4-1-2 formation for their second Serie A match of the season at Lecce on Monday, 31 August, with Matías Soulé replacing Rodrigo Mora in attack as the only change from their opening-day win over Fiorentina. The side shows Mile Svilar in goal, Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Mario Hermoso in defence, Emanuele Lulli and Bryan Cristante in midfield with Manu Koné, Wesley providing width, Soulé in the No. 10 role and Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen as forwards. Gian Piero Gasperini keeps the bulk of the XI unchanged, with Nahuel Molina, Leonardo Balerdi and Marten de Roon among those on the bench. Lecce, managed by Di Francesco, set out in a 4-3-3 with Falcone in goal and deploy Ndaba, Gaspar, Siebert and Veiga across their back four.

Roma defeated Lecce 4–0 in the second round of Serie A on 31 August, extending their winning streak to six consecutive league matches. Donyell Malen scored three goals — at 4 minutes, 23 minutes and 65 minutes — while Matías Soulé added the fourth at 24 minutes. The match was played at a 27,031 attendance. Gasperini fielded an unchanged starting XI from Roma's opening 4–0 victory over Fiorentina. The defence lined up as Ghilardi, Mancini and Hermoso across the back, with Wesley on the left flank. Emanuele Lulli started at right-back, winning the pre-match competition with Nahuel Molina for the spot. In midfield, Bryan Cristante and Manu Koné anchored the side, with Matías Soulé operating as number 10 behind the striker pairing of Paulo Dybala and Malen. Rodrigo Mora was named in the forward line, rotating with Soulé. Evan N'Dicka suffered an adductor injury during the warm-up and was unavailable. Roma's six-game winning run now comprises the final five matches of the 2025–26 season plus the 2026–27 opening day against Fiorentina. The club has registered only one previous run of seven consecutive league wins in the past decade: a streak between February and March 2025 under former manager Claudio Ranieri. Lecce have lost 28 of their 40 Serie A fixtures against Roma — only Inter have inflicted more defeats on the Salento side in the top flight, with 32 losses. Roma have scored 85 goals against Lecce in Serie A; again, only Inter have conceded more to Roma in the league, with 94. Despite awaiting further transfer activity, Gasperini's focus remained solely on the Lecce fixture. Devyne Rensch and Lorenzo Pellegrini were rested and unavailable; Rensch will return to action from next week and face Atalanta, while Pellegrini is targeting a return by mid-month. Robinio Vaz was absent for transfer reasons, positioned at the edge of a move to Hull City. Leonardo Balerdi and Marten de Roon made their first competitive calls.