Udinese goalkeeper Okoye: "We need points, our focus is on Roma"

Roma travel to the Bluenergy Stadium to face Udinese on Saturday 31 October at 18:00 in Serie A matchday 10, just days after a 4-2 win over Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico. It is Roma's fourth match in a few days, and Gian Piero Gasperini must manage a number of absences while the fixture list stays tight. Udinese, coached by Kosta Runjaic, are coming off a 0-0 draw at Parma. Gasperini may rotate several players again. Gollini is set to keep his place in goal, while Svilar has not been cleared to return early and will only come back after the international break, after the medical staff chose not to rush his recovery from a foot problem. Hermoso remains one of the main candidates to start from the first minute. Mancini, who did not look at his best against Cagliari, could make way for Ghilardi, and the battle between N'Dicka and Balerdi is still open, with Balerdi gaining ground after scoring a brace against Napoli. Wesley should return to the starting line-up on the left, while Lulli and Molina are competing for the right-back spot. Lulli, born in 2007, came off a strong performance against Cagliari, which ended with a goal and an assist. Cristante is expected to keep his place in midfield, with De Roon and Pisilli in contention to partner him, and Pisilli could also be deployed a few metres further forward. Soulé remains a fixed starter, while Mora is set to play slightly ahead to complete the line behind Malen. Pisilli is also an option to add intensity and runs into the box. Udinese are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1. Okoye, who saved a penalty against Parma, is in goal, with Palma, Kabasele and Abankwah in defence. Kamara and Bertola are set for the wing-back roles, and Karlstrom should partner Chakvetadze in midfield. In the number 10 role is former Roma player Zaniolo, who has recovered from injury and is a candidate to start alongside Ekkelenkamp behind Davis. Karlstrom is suspended after a caution. Udinese are without Solet, Zanoli, Bayo, Gueye and Alaba. Roma are also missing several important players. Svilar will miss the match after recent foot checks, and Paulo Dybala has not yet recovered fully from his injury, with his return being managed more cautiously than initially expected. The aim is to have him back for Roma's next Champions League trip against Manchester United. Manu Koné remains unavailable, and Lorenzo Pellegrini continues his recovery from a serious muscle problem. Roma have no players suspended or doubtful for the match. The historical record leans towards Roma overall, but Udinese won the last meeting at the Bluenergy Stadium, beating them 1-0 on 2 February 2026. In the first leg of that same season, Roma won 2-0 at the Olimpico. Across the last five Serie A meetings, Roma have won four and Udinese one. The match will be broadcast live on DAZN. Official line-ups will be confirmed about an hour before kickoff.

Rodrigo Mora's decisive header against Cagliari has delighted Roma supporters and revived regret among Porto fans over the midfielder's departure. Before Tuesday evening, the young Portuguese had had an uneven spell in the capital. He arrived in August with high expectations after an initial outlay of €25 million, alternating flashes of talent with less convincing displays and even finding himself on the bench in recent weeks. Then came a superb header at the Olimpico, followed by the assist that set up Malen's 4-2, which changed the picture overnight. His performance was noticed in Portugal too. As Il Romanista reports, the debate over a sale that some Porto supporters have never accepted has resurfaced on social media. One fan wrote: "Mora was sold because of Farioli, and now he is showing why everyone said 50 million was a bargain... Roma are lucky." Another went further, saying: "Great technique and grit, the place in Portugal's team must be his, not Ronaldo's." A third took a swipe at Roma: "He is too great a talent for a club that doesn't know how to value its players." Among the regret, though, there is also pride from those who watched Mora grow in the blue and white shirt. One Porto supporter wrote: "Even though there remains regret over how he could have become with us with more time, seeing him score like this makes us proud. May he keep growing, shining and showing the qualities we already knew. Talent has never been in doubt!" The message shows how much the player left his mark on the Dragão, despite a departure marked by controversy and division. Gian Piero Gasperini continues to manage him carefully. Mora has made 10 appearances in the first 12 matches, totalling 425 minutes, numbers that reflect a talent still seeking full consecration. The coach has always defended him, pointing out that he must improve above all physically and in his stamina over 90 minutes. After the Cagliari game, however, Gasperini described him as "una mina vagante", a wildcard. The header was his seventh goal of a young career, scored despite his height of 168 centimetres. Mora said: "I dream of being a decisive player." A first start could come soon, on Saturday at Udine, with Paulo Dybala absent. It is a chance to show that the Cagliari performance was not an isolated flash. Roma hope they have found a future protagonist, while in Porto some still wonder whether a mistake was made in letting him go so early.

Roma have scored more late goals than almost anyone in Serie A this season, with only Inter having a better record in the closing stages of matches. Their latest late surge came against Cagliari, where Rodrigo Mora and Malen struck in the final five minutes. Roma have now scored seven goals after the 75th minute in nine league matches, two fewer than Inter, who beat the Giallorossi yesterday. The pattern marks a clear change from last season. Writing in Il Tempo, Lorenzo Pes noted that Gasperini's first Roma side struggled badly to overturn results and often lost games once they fell behind. This season's team attacks with order even when little time remains, and it has shown a hunger for major targets. The comeback at Napoli was followed by another late strike against Cagliari, and the squad has rallied in the closing stages of several games. Gasperini can now draw on important options from the bench, and the numbers show that substitutes have often decided matches. Two of the late goals came against Cagliari from Mora and Malen. Balerdi made the difference at Napoli, Soulé did so against Atalanta, and Pisilli did so in the first matchday against Fiorentina.

Paulo Dybala will not be available for Roma's away trip to Udinese on Saturday 31 October at 18:00 at the Bluenergy Arena, despite head coach Gian Piero Gasperini's optimism about his recovery. Roma are facing a demanding run of fixtures and arrive at the match with several important absences. According to Il Tempo, Gasperini is waiting for the Argentine forward, known as La Joya, to return. Dybala was left out of the squad for the match against Cagliari, despite rejoining the group training on Sunday. He has suffered no setbacks and the injury has fully healed, but he was not called up as a precaution. Before the Cagliari game he had felt a minor discomfort, and the medical staff preferred not to take a risk. The focus now is on getting Dybala back for the UEFA Champions League clash with Manchester United on 3 November.

Roma return to the Stadio Olimpico to face Cagliari, coached by Pisacane, after the 1-1 draw at Napoli. Gasperini has made some changes for the match. Cagliari have had a strong start to the league season but come into the game on the back of two heavy defeats, against Monza and Bologna. Roma line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation: Gollini; Mancini, N'Dicka, Koulierakis; Lulli, De Roon, Pisilli, Molina; Soulé, Cristante; Castro. Balerdi, who scored a brace at the Maradona in Naples, is among the substitutes, alongside Vásquez, De Marzi, Rensch, Ghilardi, Mora, Wesley, Hermoso, Malen, Arena and Camara. Gasperini is in charge. Cagliari set up in a 5-4-1 formation: Caprile; Ze Pedro, Sugawara, Mina, Rodriguez, Obert; Romano, Deiola; Adopo, Fadera; Nzola. Their substitutes are Sherri, Radunovic, Kofler, Aurelio, Liteta, Sulev, Fazzini, Gagliardini, Ciervo, Maldini, Carlos, Mendy and Trepy. Pisacane is the Cagliari coach.

Roma host Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico at 20:45, looking to bounce back from a late draw against Napoli. Cagliari come into the match after a home defeat to Bologna, and head coach Gasperini has turned to his Argentine forward pairing, with Santiago Castro and Matías Soulé starting up front. Donyell Malen begins on the bench. Gasperini sets Roma up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Pierluigi Gollini in goal and a back three of Gianluca Mancini, Evan N'Dicka and Konstantinos Koulierakis. Emanuele Lulli, Marten de Roon, Niccolò Pisilli and Nahuel Molina form the midfield four, while Bryan Cristante and Soulé operate in the two attacking midfield roles and Castro leads the line. Cagliari, coached by Pisacane, line up 5-4-1 with Caprile in goal and Nzola as the lone striker. The scoring started early, with Nzola putting Cagliari ahead in the 6th minute before Lulli equalised in the 11th. Pisilli made it 2-1 to Roma in the 21st minute. Maldini levelled for Cagliari in the 81st, but Mora scored in the 86th and Malen added a goal in the 88th. Roma's substitutions included Wesley replacing Molina in the 46th minute, Mora coming on for De Roon in the 55th, Malen replacing Castro in the same minute, and Ghilardi and Rensch entering for Mancini and Lulli in the 76th. Balerdi, Vásquez, De Marzi, Hermoso, Arena and Camara were among the substitutes named.