Wesley ruled out of World Cup; Sabatini and Sampaoli offer support to Roma defender

Atlético Madrid have taken aim at Real Madrid's medical team after Valverde made a rapid return to full training following a heavy challenge from Lee in the derby. The incident, which left the Uruguayan midfielder requiring intervention, went unpunished by the referee and drew an angry response from José Mourinho at his post-match press conference, where he presented footage of the tackle to criticise the official's decision. Real Madrid initially signalled a lengthy absence, but Valverde has accelerated his recovery and is now targeting a return for the trip to Roma. Atlético responded with a public jab on social media: "We want to congratulate Real for continuing to make history, proving that 100% of the world medical community was wrong." The news carries significance for Mourinho, who will regain a key midfielder, but presents another challenge for Gasperini at the Olimpico, where he must now contend with Valverde's availability. The recovery timeline initially suggested a prolonged injury layoff, making the midfielder's swift return to group training a surprise. Atlético chose irony to comment on the recovery, casting doubt on Real Madrid's original injury prognosis with their social media jab.

Kylian Mbappé will start for Real Madrid against Villarreal on Wednesday 14 October, just two weeks after suffering a left knee injury against Turkey. José Mourinho has opted against managing the forward's workload ahead of the visit to the Olimpico, instead electing to test his condition in match action immediately. Mbappé has been training with the group for days and the injury appears resolved. Mourinho is determined to get his attacker back to full sharpness without delay. The Villarreal fixture serves as a gauge of Mbappé's readiness before the Champions League encounter with Roma. Gian Piero Gasperini will now have to contend with the French forward at his best, having previously faced uncertainty over his availability. Federico Valverde has also recovered and will feature against Villarreal, providing another boost for Madrid's midfield. The message from Mourinho is clear: Mbappé is ready, and there will be no further caution. Gasperini is now studying how to stop him.

Roma's squad completed an afternoon training session at the Fulvio Bernardini centre on 8 October, stepping up their intensity ahead of the imminent resumption of the Serie A campaign. The session, conducted in heavy rain but with a relaxed atmosphere of athletic work, running and tactical small-sided games, saw the final reunion of the South American internationals with the rest of the group. Matías Soulé, Leonardo Balerdi and Santiago Castro returned to Italy on the morning of 8 October and took part in the full session, putting themselves at the disposal of Gian Piero Gasperini's coaching staff. Roma's chief executive John Galantic was present on the touchline to witness the preparations. Bryan Cristante remains the only absentee, sidelined by a knee problem that will keep him out of the squad for the forthcoming trip to Como. Gasperini will deploy Marten de Roon to cover Cristante's absence in midfield, with the experienced Dutch midfielder starting alongside Manu Koné to provide defensive cover, midfield control and physical presence in Roma's play. The Como fixture marks the beginning of a demanding fixture list in October, with Gasperini using this session to refine final tactical details and prepare the group for the weeks ahead.

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 face Como in a tactical battle between Fabregas and Gasperini, two coaches with contrasting philosophies seeking to dictate play. Gasperini is considering deploying Rodrigo Mora on the trequarti in support of Dybala and Malen, a move with both technical and tactical significance. Against Como's four-man defence, this setup would allow Mora to exploit space between the lines and combine quickly with two players whose strengths complement each other: Dybala's ability to read situations others miss and Malen's capacity to attack space immediately. Marten de Roon is expected to anchor midfield, providing equilibrium and tactical knowledge of Gasperini's systems crucial against Como's possession-based approach. Evan N'Dicka is favoured over Leonardo Balerdi in defence, with Nahuel Molina and Wesley operating on the flanks. The match's decisive factor may lie on the wings. Como build superiority through passing and draw pressure to free players in space; Roma counterpress through individual aggression and advanced recovery. The fullbacks will be fundamental, needing to support attacking play without leaving the corridors Como exploits. Molina and Wesley could prove decisive both in pressing and by forcing Como's wingers to defend, preventing Fabregas's side from developing their game with continuity. The sides have met twice previously in contrasting circumstances. At the Olimpico, Roma imposed themselves through intense pressing, with Wesley scoring the decisive goal. In the return fixture, a side lacking clear attacking reference points gradually lost shape and ceded initiative to Como. However, this Roma present different offensive possibilities. The presence of Malen, Dybala's talent and Mora's potential deployment offer Gasperini solutions capable of troubling a well-organised team like Fabregas's. Roma must start aggressively, press immediately and prevent Como from gaining confidence in their passing patterns.

Como and Roma will take the field at the Sinigaglia with a combined squad representing thirteen different nationalities, a striking illustration of Serie A's globalization. Among the twenty-two starting players, Gianluca Mancini could be the only Italian on the pitch, a detail that underscores how heavily Italian clubs now lean on international recruitment. The match will pit Cesc Fabregas's Como side, built around a Spanish core including Milla, Ramon, Valle and Roma's Mario Hermoso, against Gian Piero Gasperini's Roma—a tactical and mental duel of the highest calibre. The broader context reveals that nearly 72 per cent of players deployed across Serie A so far this season are foreign, confirming the league's decisive shift towards international profiles. Both Como and Roma maintain some of the youngest average ages in Italian football despite their cosmopolitan squads. The encounter promises individual battles throughout the pitch: Wesley and Couto's pace against the craft of Paulo Dybala and Nico Paz. With international breaks forcing late team evaluations, Gasperini faces decisions including a possible move to deploy young Rodrigo Mora in an attacking midfield role. The Sinigaglia is preparing to reveal the true alternative to Inter in the title race.