Press ConferenceInjury● AI
4h agoCristante on Como threat, knee injury and Mourinho reunion
Bryan Cristante has addressed his knee injury and Roma's outlook for the season ahead, speaking at the launch of Adidas's EQT 2026-27 collection. The midfielder confirmed he is managing discomfort in the knee and hopes to recover as soon as possible, though he acknowledged the timeline remains uncertain. "I have this problem with my knee. We are clearly trying to recover as soon as possible. We hope we can manage it, but we see it as a bit difficult. We are trying to do it as soon as possible," he said.
Cristante credited the decision by the squad to remain at Roma for the continuity that has been built. "Yes, absolutely. I think continuity is fundamental. Last season we had a great season, so we all wanted to repeat it. We knew we would start from a more solid and consolidated base, so clearly there was a desire from everyone to stay and repeat ourselves and try to do better," he explained. Roma finished third in Serie A last season, and Cristante said the group is aware of the standards required to compete at that level again. "We know we can reach those positions. Our objective is to maintain these standards, those of last season, and to reach as high as possible. Then seasons are long, Italian football is difficult, but we want to repeat ourselves," he added.
The midfielder highlighted Como and Real Madrid as significant fixtures coming up. "It is still early. Clearly everything will still be open, but certainly they are two big matches. There is Como, which is a direct rival of ours, and then there is Real Madrid. They are two important and beautiful matches, but it is early: the championship is still long," Cristante said. He also expressed warmth about the prospect of facing José Mourinho, who formerly managed Roma. "It is always nice to see the coach again. We lived beautiful moments together and it will certainly be a great pleasure," he said.
On the new Italy squad under Roberto Mancini, Cristante offered encouragement. "It seems good to me. Clearly it is normal that there were some initial difficulties, but I am happy with the young players. I think they did very well, that there is a great future and that there are many players who can do well from here on and who will only grow," he said. When asked if he would be available for Italy in November, he remained non-committal: "Let's see how the rest of the season goes."