Valverde returns ahead of schedule; Atlético taunts Real Madrid over recovery

Roma travel to Como on Sunday at 12:30 for a top-of-the-table clash, with the Giallorossi level on points with Inter and Lazio at the summit. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has opted to hand a starting place to Portuguese midfielder Rodrigo Mora, class of 2007, in what appears a tactical gamble to break one of Roma's most stubborn curses: the club has not won at the Como ground overlooking Lake Como since 30 April 1989, when Manfredonia headed home at the second minute. Nearly 38 years have passed since that day. The three subsequent visits to Lario have all ended in defeat, most recently when Donyell Malen converted a seventh-minute penalty to put Roma ahead, only for Wesley's red card to leave the ten-men Giallorossi vulnerable to a Cesc Fabregas comeback. Gasperini tested new tactical solutions in a friendly against Sorianese (20-0), settling on a 3-4-1-2 shape designed to counter Fabregas's four-man defence and contain the opposing full-backs' central positioning. Mora, operating as a midfielder, offers the crucial link between midfield and attack through his quality in the final pass and the threat of distance shooting—both weapons aimed at unlocking Como's defensive block. Roma must also overturn a troubling pattern after international breaks: across the last two seasons, they have managed only two wins, one draw and five defeats in eight matches following national-team pauses. In the 2024-25 campaign, after drawing 1-1 at Genoa and losing 1-0 at home to both Inter and Napoli, Roma found victory only in spring under Claudio Ranieri with a 1-0 win at Lecce. Under Gasperini this season, home losses to Torino (0-1) and Inter (0-1) were sandwiched around a 3-1 victory over Cremonese, followed by a heavy 5-2 defeat at San Siro in April—a setback later overcome during the final push to third place and Champions League qualification.

Roma arrive at Como on Sunday 12 October for a Serie A fixture shadowed by one of their most stubborn taboos in Italian football. The Giallorossi have not won at the Sinigaglia since 30 April 1989, when Lionello Manfredonia's goal after two minutes sealed a 0–1 victory — a 37-year drought that requires context: Como spent long periods outside Serie A, and Roma have visited only twice since that day, losing 2–0 in December 2024 and 2–1 on 15 March 2026. A January 2003 encounter between the clubs, also a 2–0 Como win, was played on neutral ground at Piacenza's Garilli. Across 31 official meetings, Roma lead 16–8–7, but a striking pattern has emerged: none of the last ten Serie A clashes has ended in a draw, with Roma winning seven and Como three. The previous stalemate came on 18 January 1987, 0–0. Como's home record is particularly daunting — they have won their last three league matches at the Sinigaglia against Roma, scoring exactly two goals each time. Yet Roma enter the match on a remarkable run: they have won their last five away games in Serie A. A sixth consecutive away victory would be a rarity in the club's history; only once have Roma managed six or more consecutive away league wins, when they won 12 straight between February and November 2017. Roma's start to the 2026–27 season is also noteworthy — they have reached at least 13 points in their first five matches only five times in their history. A win at Como would take them to 16 points after six rounds, a tally reached only twice before: 18 points in 2013–14 and 16 in 1952–53. Both defences have been exceptional. Since last season began, Roma have conceded 34 goals and Como 35, the two best records in Serie A over that span; only Arsenal have done better across the five major European leagues, with 31 conceded. Offensively, neither team relies solely on defensive strength: Como have scored 74 goals and Roma 73 in the same period, making them the second and third-best attacks in Serie A behind Inter. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini stands at 299 Serie A victories; Sunday could deliver a landmark. Reaching 300 wins would make him only the fifth manager in the history of Italy's top flight to achieve that figure, after Giovanni Trapattoni, Massimiliano Allegri, Luciano Spalletti and Nereo Rocco. Donyell Malen has produced extraordinary numbers since his Roma debut in Serie A on 18 January 2026, scoring 20 goals in 23 appearances — more than any player in Europe's five major leagues in the same period; Harry Kane and Raphinha have 18. Among players with at least ten goals, Malen holds the best minutes-per-goal ratio in Serie A's three-points era: one goal every 91 minutes, ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo at 104 and Ronaldo Nazário at 117. Roma's away form and attacking potency will be tested against Como's fortress at home and their own exceptional defensive record. The match kicks off at 12:30 on Sunday 12 October.

Roma return to the Stadio Olimpico on Wednesday 13 October to face Real Madrid in a fixture charged with emotion both on and off the pitch. The match marks Mourinho's return to Rome and Roma's first Champions League home game in seven years. Gasperini will hold his pre-match press conference at Trigoria at 13:30 on Tuesday 13 October. The team will train at 15:00, with the session open to media for the first 15 minutes. Real Madrid will conduct their morning session in Spain before arriving in Rome in the afternoon. Mourinho's press conference will take place at the Olimpico at 18:00.