Wesley and Malen dine together at Colosseum as Roma pair recover from injury

Andrea Stramaccioni has defended Bryan Cristante's importance to Gasperini's Roma system, calling the midfielder fundamental to the club's approach. Speaking on Radio Manà Manà Sport, Stramaccioni praised Cristante's dual role as a ball-winning midfielder, saying: "Cristante is fundamental for Gasperini because he succeeds in interpreting the role of the double midfielder with physical strength, presence, aerial play and defensive protection. He is a player who runs, covers countless dimensions and does it with intelligence. In this moment he is a precious player, key. He is well, knows the coach's ideas and is important in the dressing room." Stramaccioni assessed Roma's current season position, noting that while the club has shown strength, Inter remain the favourites. "Roma has shown it can absolutely compete with the top side, but the top side in my view remains Inter," he said. He highlighted the scale of the challenge ahead: "Sunday there is Como, Wednesday Real Madrid: this is Roma's great test. These are technical and tactical factors, but also very mental ones." Roma must learn to compete for 90 minutes without errors or lapses in concentration, particularly against elite opponents, he added. On the Matteo Romano situation, Stramaccioni acknowledged Roma's constraints while defending the decision to let the academy product leave. "It is difficult to predict how a young player might impact Serie A, but Romano is doing what he must do. Cagliari made a clever deal," he said. Regarding Roma's negotiating position, he noted: "Roma was probably also conditioned by financial fair play. These are things easy to comment on from outside and difficult to manage from inside. I would have kept a buy-back clause, as the big clubs do."

Evan N'Dicka played the full 90 minutes for Ivory Coast in their 2–0 victory over Ghana on 24 September, while Konstantinos Koulierakis remained unused as Serbia lost 1–2 to Greece. Today, 25 September, Gianluca Mancini will feature for Italy against Belgium in a Nations League fixture at the Stadio Olimpico at 20:45, aiming to start. Daniele Ghilardi has been excluded from Roberto Mancini's squad for the match. Manu Koné will also play this evening for France, who face Turkey at Kocaeli Stadyumu at 20:45.

Santiago Castro has yet to score for Roma this season, with his playing time limited so far. However, Gian Piero Gasperini is counting on the Argentine forward from October onwards and is hopeful of goals from him as the campaign progresses. Castro's contributions are expected to increase as Roma's fixture schedule intensifies, with the head coach viewing him as a key part of his attacking plans going forward.

Wesley and Malen, both sidelined by minor physical issues and without international commitments, remained in Rome to recuperate ahead of the squad's return to training on Tuesday. The pair made use of a training session cancelled by Gasperini to spend the evening at AROMA, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a terrace overlooking the Colosseum, before Roma resume preparation for their Serie A match against Como on 11 October, which may include friendly fixtures to maintain match sharpness. The two players are working to regain full fitness for the fixture. Roma will prepare with a reduced squad during the international break, with Gasperini managing their workload carefully. The restaurant visit included the customary photograph with the restaurant's staff.

Roma's radio stations have weighed in on the club's decision to prevent Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina from travelling to Argentina for Lionel Messi's farewell match, with most voices backing Gian Piero Gasperini's stance but expressing sympathy for the players' position. The core issue centres on fixture congestion and recovery time. Gasperini has reportedly blocked the pair from making the intercontinental journey because they are needed for Roma's upcoming match against Como, with the travel and the nature of the trip—a farewell party as much as a football occasion—presenting a fatigue risk. Dybala and Molina played in last summer's Copa América with Argentina and featured in the same World Cup squad as Messi, making the event emotionally significant. Multiple commentators acknowledged the difficulty of saying no to a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, yet sided with the coach's reasoning. Francesco Balzani (Tele Radio Stereo) noted Roma face a potential UEFA fine in November that could affect the January transfer market, though there is no concern at the club's headquarters about European competition exclusion. Alessandro Fusco (Radio Radio Mattino) argued neither player should even request permission, stating they should prioritize the club paying their wages. Franco Ordine added that Roma has already faced criticism from the Dutch national coach over the Donyell Malen situation, where it remained unclear what physical issue kept him unavailable. Stefano Agresti supported Gasperini, pointing out that Wesley, Malen and Bryan Cristante had already missed international action due to fitness concerns. Nando Orsi dissented, calling it excessive to prevent them attending a one-off farewell. Roberto Pruzzo suggested common sense would ultimately prevail. Simone Valdarchi summarized Trigoria's three pending questions: whether friendlies will be scheduled, when injured players return, and whether Dybala and Molina will depart for Messi's match—with the unofficial answer leaning toward no. Piero Torri criticised the scale of praise surrounding Matteo Nicolò Messi's departure from Roma, stating: "It seems like an exaggerated level of excitement about Romano. Certainly Roma made a mistake in not securing a buy-back clause on this player—they didn't leave themselves a safety valve." The official word on Dybala and Molina's travel plans remained pending as of match day.

Gian Piero Gasperini has granted Roma an additional day off, cancelling training and rescheduling the squad's return to Trigoria for Tuesday afternoon. The head coach will spend the intervening days away from Rome. Lorenzo Pellegrini is back fit and ready to feature in the trip to Como on 11 October after sitting out the last two consecutive matches against Torino and Inter. Wesley, Bryan Cristante and Donyell Malen are all available with no fitness concerns. The main talking point, however, centres on a potential trip to Argentina for Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina. Both players have received official invitations from the Argentine Football Association to attend a tribute ceremony for Lionel Messi's international retirement on 6 October at the Monumental stadium, an event open to all members of Argentina's 2022 World Cup-winning squad. Gasperini would prefer to avoid the lengthy intercontinental journey for the pair just days before the Como league fixture, particularly given that neither would feature in that match. Dybala and Molina are both keenly motivated to attend an occasion of profound emotional and historical significance to Argentine supporters. Discussions between the club, coaching staff and players are set to continue in the coming days.

Wesley and Malen, both sidelined by minor physical issues and without international commitments, remained in Rome to recuperate ahead of the squad's return to training on Tuesday. The pair made use of a training session cancelled by Gasperini to spend the evening at AROMA, a Michelin-starred restaurant with a terrace overlooking the Colosseum, before Roma resume preparation for their Serie A match against Como on 11 October, which may include friendly fixtures to maintain match sharpness. The two players are working to regain full fitness for the fixture. Roma will prepare with a reduced squad during the international break, with Gasperini managing their workload carefully. The restaurant visit included the customary photograph with the restaurant's staff.

Donyell Malen's condition is improving after a left knee problem sustained during Roma's match against Inter forced him to withdraw from the Netherlands' first squad call-up following the World Cup. Medical tests ruled out serious damage but advised caution, prompting Malen to skip the international break and use the time to recover fully. Malen has trained separately from his Roma teammates in recent days, focusing on individual work and physiotherapy to reduce discomfort and avoid overloading the knee. Head coach Gian Piero Gasperini granted the squad four days' rest, with training resuming Tuesday afternoon. Malen is expected to continue his personalised programme initially before being gradually reintegrated into group sessions. Roma are in no rush to accelerate his return, prioritising a complete recovery ahead of the demanding fixture list that awaits after the break. Netherlands manager Xavi offered reassurance on Malen's status, saying: "It's a shame because Donyell is in excellent form. He had to say no at the last moment, but that's football. In my opinion he's fine, I don't know how much time it will take him to recover, but the injury is not serious."

Roma's radio stations have weighed in on the club's decision to prevent Paulo Dybala and Nahuel Molina from travelling to Argentina for Lionel Messi's farewell match, with most voices backing Gian Piero Gasperini's stance but expressing sympathy for the players' position. The core issue centres on fixture congestion and recovery time. Gasperini has reportedly blocked the pair from making the intercontinental journey because they are needed for Roma's upcoming match against Como, with the travel and the nature of the trip—a farewell party as much as a football occasion—presenting a fatigue risk. Dybala and Molina played in last summer's Copa América with Argentina and featured in the same World Cup squad as Messi, making the event emotionally significant. Multiple commentators acknowledged the difficulty of saying no to a once-in-a-lifetime occasion, yet sided with the coach's reasoning. Francesco Balzani (Tele Radio Stereo) noted Roma face a potential UEFA fine in November that could affect the January transfer market, though there is no concern at the club's headquarters about European competition exclusion. Alessandro Fusco (Radio Radio Mattino) argued neither player should even request permission, stating they should prioritize the club paying their wages. Franco Ordine added that Roma has already faced criticism from the Dutch national coach over the Donyell Malen situation, where it remained unclear what physical issue kept him unavailable. Stefano Agresti supported Gasperini, pointing out that Wesley, Malen and Bryan Cristante had already missed international action due to fitness concerns. Nando Orsi dissented, calling it excessive to prevent them attending a one-off farewell. Roberto Pruzzo suggested common sense would ultimately prevail. Simone Valdarchi summarized Trigoria's three pending questions: whether friendlies will be scheduled, when injured players return, and whether Dybala and Molina will depart for Messi's match—with the unofficial answer leaning toward no. Piero Torri criticised the scale of praise surrounding Matteo Nicolò Messi's departure from Roma, stating: "It seems like an exaggerated level of excitement about Romano. Certainly Roma made a mistake in not securing a buy-back clause on this player—they didn't leave themselves a safety valve." The official word on Dybala and Molina's travel plans remained pending as of match day.