Soulé wins over Gasperini again, set to start against Fiorentina

Como sporting director Carlalberto Ludi has outlined his side's approach to Sunday's match against Roma, scheduled for 11 October at 12:30. Ludi told Sky Sport that the fixture will be "a stimulating match, extremely difficult, against one of the strongest teams in the league". He emphasised Como's ambition to compete seriously and demonstrate they can challenge Roma at the highest level. "We want to confront them in a serious way to prove we are their rivals," Ludi said. "We aim to be competitive and to manage our physical and mental energy as best we can ahead of the many commitments ahead. I am confident that we will be ready." Como's focus is on maintaining intensity across a congested fixture calendar while preparing a competitive challenge to one of Serie A's leading contenders.

Como sporting director Carlarberto Ludi has declared his side's ambition to demonstrate they can compete with Roma ahead of their match on Sunday at 12:30. Ludi told Sky Sport that Como will approach the fixture as a serious test against one of Serie A's strongest teams. "It will undoubtedly be a stimulating match, extremely difficult against one of the strongest teams in the championship," he said. "We want to face them seriously to show we are their rivals. We want to be competitive and manage our physical and mental energy for the many commitments ahead. I am confident we will be ready."

Como–Roma will feature a clash between Paulo Dybala and Nico Paz, two Argentine stars of Serie A. The match pits the experienced Dybala against the younger Paz in a contest that extends beyond the pitch itself, representing a generational encounter between the two playmakers.

Como–Roma will feature a clash between Paulo Dybala and Nico Paz, two Argentine stars of Serie A. The match pits the experienced Dybala against the younger Paz in a contest that extends beyond the pitch itself, representing a generational encounter between the two playmakers.

Radio pundits across Rome's major stations offered contrasting views on Roma's immediate prospects and Serie A title race as Gian Piero Gasperini's side prepares for a difficult run of fixtures. The central debate centred on Roma's chances against Como in the coming days and their broader credentials this season, with several voices backing the team to succeed despite midfield concerns. Lorenzo Pes argued that Roma has the tools to win both the Como match and later the Real Madrid fixture, though he cautioned against rushing Lorenzo Pellegrini back too soon. "I don't really expect Pellegrini to start, even though the Como match calls more for a trequartista," Pes said. "But putting a player who hasn't played since mid-April into a match that will be very intense doesn't seem wise." Mario Corsi framed Gasperini's anxiety around injury prevention as evidence of the manager's belief in the squad's potential. "Gasperini has a terror of losing players to injury," Corsi explained, "because he is convinced that this Roma with all its full complement can do something frightening. The injury to Cristante is not a tragedy; the tragedies would be injuries to Malen, Dybala or Svilar." Other contributors highlighted the volatility of post-international-break football. Fabio Petruzzi noted that both Como and Roma had individual duels to determine the outcome: "Where is the mismatch? Perhaps the head, how you prepare psychologically. I see Gasperini calm. He is a pain in the neck, in the good sense of the term, but he transmits tranquility to me; he seems like someone who knows he has something important in his hands." Alessio Nardo recalled Roma's poor record returning from breaks, citing defeats to Torino (0–1 in September), Inter (0–1 in October) and a 5–2 loss at San Siro in March of the previous season. On the title race, Roberto Pruzzo held firm to the view that Inter held a structural advantage despite a compressed table. "Despite the league being very tight at the moment, I still think Inter has 10 points of advantage over the others, but then it must put those points together and that isn't easy." Nando Orsi disagreed sharply, countering that Roma had nearly closed the gap and positioning the two teams as the likeliest contenders for the championship, with Como as a dark horse.

Rafa Benítez has identified Roma and Como as the two teams best equipped to remain competitive with Serie A's defending champions this season. Writing for Gazzetta.it, the Spanish manager analysed the upcoming Como-Roma fixture and the wider title race, highlighting the challenges both clubs face after the international break. Benítez recognised Roma as the embodiment of Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical vision, praising the key players driving their campaign. He said: "Roma is the expression of Gasp, his all-field pressing, high re-aggression, immediate long balls; an attacker like Malen exalted by the schemes and devastating, Dybala who has returned to his levels; Koné in midfield who demolishes and pushes, Rodrigo Mora who comes in and breaks things. When they are playing well, you struggle to hold them." Benítez also commended Como's setup under Cesc Fabregas, describing him as "special for the way and timing in which he is establishing himself" and highlighting young talents including Nico Paz, Baturina, Ramon (21 years old), and Da Cunha. Benítez expressed concern about the difficulty of restarting the campaign after an unusually long international break. "It seems unusual, therefore hard," he explained. "The last time championships stopped for such a long period mid-season – and even longer than this – was during the Qatar World Cup, and that time it was even necessary to bring squads back into retreat with different preparations. Three weeks turn you upside down, everyone had their players scattered around the World and few were left to train. I foresee problems."

The international break has ended and Roma players have returned to Trigoria, with Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi due back in the capital today and available to Gasperini from tomorrow. The three Argentina internationals saw limited action across friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin. Balerdi played the most among them with 79 minutes, followed by Soulé (45 minutes) and Castro (21 minutes). They watched Argentina's farewell to Lionel Messi from the bench and are now set for the upcoming Como fixture. Rodrigo Mora emerged as Roma's most-used player during the international window, accumulating 225 minutes with Portugal Under-21. The 2007-born midfielder scored a bicycle kick and provided an assist. Evan N'Dicka (187 minutes), Gianluca Mancini and Niccolò Pisilli (both 180 minutes) followed him. Manu Koné featured in three of France's four matches, totalling 151 minutes, though he was absent against Italy and came off the bench only late in the fixture against Belgium. Emanuele Lulli and Konstantinos Koulierakis saw less action, playing 45 and 90 minutes respectively. Gasperini began formation drills today and reunited with Wesley and Donyell Malen, both of whom remained in Rome due to minor injuries that have now been resolved.

Agent and intermediary Giuseppe Cionci has re-entered Roma's transfer dealings after a prolonged absence from the club's operations. Cionci played a role in two transfers completed within recent months: in January, he was among intermediaries involved in Donyell Malen's move from Aston Villa, and in summer he facilitated Konstantinos Koulierakis's arrival from Wolfsburg for €16.5 million. His return marks a notable shift at Trigoria, as the last time Cionci featured prominently in Roma business was in 2018, when he helped bring Ante Coric from Dinamo Zagreb for over €6 million. Cionci's re-emergence carries added significance given the contested history of that 2018 deal. According to reports, Pietro Leonardi, a former Parma director with long-standing ties to Cionci and a friend of head coach Gian Piero Gasperini, may have played a role in reconnecting Cionci to Roma operations. Gasperini described Leonardi as "a great friend outside football". The recent dual involvement is undeniable—Malen first, then Koulierakis—though a legal dispute stemming from the original Coric transaction remains active. In January 2024, Rome's tribunal annulled an injunction of €216,550 previously obtained by Corner Sport Management, declaring the representation contract null and ordering the company to return €800,000 already received. Corner subsequently appealed, and the Court of Appeal suspended the ruling's executive effect. The proceedings remain open, with a final hearing scheduled for 13 November.

Radio pundits across Rome's major stations offered contrasting views on Roma's immediate prospects and Serie A title race as Gian Piero Gasperini's side prepares for a difficult run of fixtures. The central debate centred on Roma's chances against Como in the coming days and their broader credentials this season, with several voices backing the team to succeed despite midfield concerns. Lorenzo Pes argued that Roma has the tools to win both the Como match and later the Real Madrid fixture, though he cautioned against rushing Lorenzo Pellegrini back too soon. "I don't really expect Pellegrini to start, even though the Como match calls more for a trequartista," Pes said. "But putting a player who hasn't played since mid-April into a match that will be very intense doesn't seem wise." Mario Corsi framed Gasperini's anxiety around injury prevention as evidence of the manager's belief in the squad's potential. "Gasperini has a terror of losing players to injury," Corsi explained, "because he is convinced that this Roma with all its full complement can do something frightening. The injury to Cristante is not a tragedy; the tragedies would be injuries to Malen, Dybala or Svilar." Other contributors highlighted the volatility of post-international-break football. Fabio Petruzzi noted that both Como and Roma had individual duels to determine the outcome: "Where is the mismatch? Perhaps the head, how you prepare psychologically. I see Gasperini calm. He is a pain in the neck, in the good sense of the term, but he transmits tranquility to me; he seems like someone who knows he has something important in his hands." Alessio Nardo recalled Roma's poor record returning from breaks, citing defeats to Torino (0–1 in September), Inter (0–1 in October) and a 5–2 loss at San Siro in March of the previous season. On the title race, Roberto Pruzzo held firm to the view that Inter held a structural advantage despite a compressed table. "Despite the league being very tight at the moment, I still think Inter has 10 points of advantage over the others, but then it must put those points together and that isn't easy." Nando Orsi disagreed sharply, countering that Roma had nearly closed the gap and positioning the two teams as the likeliest contenders for the championship, with Como as a dark horse.

The international break has ended and Roma players have returned to Trigoria, with Matías Soulé, Santiago Castro and Leonardo Balerdi due back in the capital today and available to Gasperini from tomorrow. The three Argentina internationals saw limited action across friendly matches against Bolivia, Burkina Faso and Benin. Balerdi played the most among them with 79 minutes, followed by Soulé (45 minutes) and Castro (21 minutes). They watched Argentina's farewell to Lionel Messi from the bench and are now set for the upcoming Como fixture. Rodrigo Mora emerged as Roma's most-used player during the international window, accumulating 225 minutes with Portugal Under-21. The 2007-born midfielder scored a bicycle kick and provided an assist. Evan N'Dicka (187 minutes), Gianluca Mancini and Niccolò Pisilli (both 180 minutes) followed him. Manu Koné featured in three of France's four matches, totalling 151 minutes, though he was absent against Italy and came off the bench only late in the fixture against Belgium. Emanuele Lulli and Konstantinos Koulierakis saw less action, playing 45 and 90 minutes respectively. Gasperini began formation drills today and reunited with Wesley and Donyell Malen, both of whom remained in Rome due to minor injuries that have now been resolved.

Rafa Benítez has identified Roma and Como as the two teams best equipped to remain competitive with Serie A's defending champions this season. Writing for Gazzetta.it, the Spanish manager analysed the upcoming Como-Roma fixture and the wider title race, highlighting the challenges both clubs face after the international break. Benítez recognised Roma as the embodiment of Gian Piero Gasperini's tactical vision, praising the key players driving their campaign. He said: "Roma is the expression of Gasp, his all-field pressing, high re-aggression, immediate long balls; an attacker like Malen exalted by the schemes and devastating, Dybala who has returned to his levels; Koné in midfield who demolishes and pushes, Rodrigo Mora who comes in and breaks things. When they are playing well, you struggle to hold them." Benítez also commended Como's setup under Cesc Fabregas, describing him as "special for the way and timing in which he is establishing himself" and highlighting young talents including Nico Paz, Baturina, Ramon (21 years old), and Da Cunha. Benítez expressed concern about the difficulty of restarting the campaign after an unusually long international break. "It seems unusual, therefore hard," he explained. "The last time championships stopped for such a long period mid-season – and even longer than this – was during the Qatar World Cup, and that time it was even necessary to bring squads back into retreat with different preparations. Three weeks turn you upside down, everyone had their players scattered around the World and few were left to train. I foresee problems."

Rome's radio stations aired a full slate of opinions on Inter's Serie A standing and Roma's prospects, with veteran analysts divided over whether the Nerazzurri hold a decisive advantage. Roberto Pruzzo argued that despite a tight table, "Inter have a 10-point lead over the others, but they have to put those points together and it's not as simple as doing an addition." Other voices disputed the gap: Nando Orsi said "I don't believe there's a 10-point gap from Inter for everyone. Roma has almost completely closed the gap, because there's also the way of playing beyond the squad itself. At least another 5 matches are needed for a broader judgment, but Roma and Inter will battle it out with Como as an awkward third party." The panel dissected Roma's preparation for Sunday's 12:30 kickoff against Como and Gasperini's squad selection dilemmas. Filippo Biafora outlined three options in a contested midfield slot: Pellegrini, Rodrigo Mora, and Matías Soulé. Soulé, Biafora noted, would arrive late after attending Messi's celebration and would have only two full training sessions before the match—"another disadvantage for someone returning from an intercontinental journey." Mora had a simpler return from Under-21 duty, while Pellegrini remained at Trigoria to train but could manage only one half or slightly more after a knee injury sustained six months earlier. Biafora concluded: "It's still early to understand what Gasperini will do." Mario Mattioli questioned Inter's superiority, suggesting the three English signings could become a constraint rather than an asset. Piero Torri framed Roma's challenge in calendar terms: "A good way to relieve pressure on Roma can be remembering we're only at the sixth matchday. The schedule so far hasn't been kind—in the first nine you'll have already faced Inter, Como, Atalanta and Napoli. Certainly, winning on Sunday would be a great signal." Simone Valdarchi observed that Gasperini consistently avoids talking about chasing Inter, instead measuring the team against Roma's own previous season. Valdarchi said: "Raising the bar would mean playing for the Scudetto. To do that, this squad is only missing making a few more points against the big teams."