Stephan El Shaarawy

Tommaso Turci, journalist and pitchside reporter for DAZN, spoke exclusively to Retesport and praised Roma's progress under Gian Piero Gasperini, with particular praise for Stephan El Shaarawy's teammate Matías Soulé and new-look midfielder Marten de Roon. Turci said Soulé is "making giant steps forward" and described him as becoming a leader and a player for a top team. Turci said Roma look organised and improving but that they are still at the beginning of the season. He stressed that consistency will make the difference, and that the Roma side will become credible for the top of the table once squad players with limited minutes add value, as happened against Genoa and again in the most recent match. He said that the season before gave this group awareness, and that Roma are showing they can stay near the top of the table, though how long that will last remains to be seen. On Inter, Turci said that once they reach full speed they will pull away from the rest by 10-15 points. On Gasperini's reaction to Lulli's goal, Turci said the coach was moved to see the young scorer celebrating in a clumsy way, often looking at the referee to confirm his first goal was valid. Gasperini, who has now recorded 300 wins, congratulated him and then immediately gave the team instructions, even though the goal strongly pointed the match in Roma's favour. Turci praised Soulé's quality in the build-up to that goal, saying it was not just technique but also personality, and that the forward is now physically well and aligned with Gasperini's ideas. Asked which newcomer had impressed him most, Turci said: "De Roon, even though we all knew he would be functional to Gasperini's way of playing. Seeing how he has fitted into the group and the dressing room has made me understand that he is a top player." On the coaching staff, Turci said they are perfectly aligned with Gasperini, naming Raimondi and Gritti, and that Gasperini consults everyone while each member looks after the details during matches. He added: "All the top coaches have a great staff, and he is no exception."

Lorenzo Pellegrini returns to the starting XI tonight as Roma face Slovan Bratislava in the UEFA Champions League, 2,806 days after the club last won a Champions League match. Roma have not competed in Europe's premier competition for seven years, and Malen and his team-mates aim to return to winning ways after points slipped away against Fenerbahce and Real Madrid. The last Roma win came on 12 February 2019, when the Giallorossi beat Porto 2-1 at the Stadio Olimpico. Porto progressed on the return leg after a 3-1 victory. Pellegrini started that evening too, and he is the only survivor from that side. The squad around him has changed completely since then. Di Francesco's 4-3-3 that night included Cristante, who is missing tonight through injury, and Daniele De Rossi in midfield. Dzeko led the line, with El Shaarawy alongside him and Zaniolo, who scored twice, in support. The defence was made up of Florenzi, Manolas, Fazio and Kolarov, with Mirante in goal. Santon, Kluivert and Nzonzi came off the bench. Seven years on from that night, Roma want to win in the Champions League again.

Stephan El Shaarawy, Niccolò Pisilli and Tommaso Baldanzi were among the Roma figures who attended the preview of "In un battito", the film about former Roma midfielder Edoardo Bove, at the Festa del Cinema di Roma. El Shaarawy received a warm welcome on arrival, a sign of the affection that still surrounds him in the Roma environment. The film, directed by Giovanni Troilo, follows Bove's journey after the collapse he suffered on 1 December 2024 during Fiorentina-Inter. It deals with a particularly delicate chapter of the midfielder's life and places his human experience at its centre. Bove, who is no longer at the club, kept strong ties with his former team-mates, and their presence at the screening was seen as a mark of that bond. El Shaarawy shared a dressing room with Bove at Roma, and his attendance was a gesture of closeness towards the player. Pisilli and Baldanzi are also linked to Bove's time in giallorosso. Their presence underlined the significance of an evening dedicated to the personal story of a player who remains close to his former colleagues.

Several Roma figures attended the premiere of "In un Battito", the documentary about Edoardo Bove's life since his collapse on 1 December 2024, at the Festival del Cinema in Rome on the evening of 18 October. Current Roma midfielder Niccolò Pisilli was among those present, alongside former Giallorossi Tommaso Baldanzi and Stephan El Shaarawy, all accompanied by their partners. Bove, a former Roma midfielder who now plays for Watford, was the focus of the film. Tennis player and Roma fan Flavio Cobolli, Bove's best friend, walked the red carpet. Former Fiorentina coach Raffaele Palladino, who was in charge of the club at the time of the tragic event, also attended. The presence of so many Roma people was highlighted by Eleonora Trotta on Instagram. The premiere was an occasion to show closeness and affection for a project that involved Bove personally. The documentary follows his recovery and return to life after the medical emergency suffered during a match on 1 December 2024.

Roma beat Genoa 2-0 at the Stadio Olimpico on Saturday evening, a result that keeps the focus firmly on the Champions League ahead. Gian Piero Gasperini's young players were the story of the win. Roma are the Serie A club using the most Under-23 players alongside Como, and Lulli stood out in a performance the club now wants to lock down with a new deal. Lulli, a Gasperini discovery, is one of several young players who impressed. The Palestrina-born full-back is the first Italian born in 2007 to score in Serie A. Castro, who scored the opening goal that unlocked the match, has been compared to Maradona in Argentina. Soulé joked with Santiago on social media, speaking in Roman dialect. Balerdi also had a top performance and is confirmed as another starter for Gasperini, with 7 ball recoveries and 12 duels won from 15. El Shaarawy was emotional about returning to the Olimpico. Pellegrini was pleased with the result, saying: "Vittoria importante per la Roma, minuti fondamentali per me." Totti has also opened the door to a return to the club.

Roma are working to extend the contract of full-back Emanuele Lulli, who has made an excellent start to the season and scored his first professional goal against Genoa. The club is working on a new deal running until 30 June 2031, with a salary adjustment that recognises his new role as a 2007-born full-back. The move is also aimed at keeping away the interest of two foreign clubs, which reportedly considered signing him on a free transfer from next June. Both parties want to continue the journey they began together in the youth sector. After the win over Genoa, Roma turn their attention back to the Champions League. On Tuesday evening the Giallorossi host Slovan Bratislava at the Olimpico, aiming to collect valuable points and make amends for the comeback they suffered against Real Madrid. Roma sit on one point after two matchdays. Gian Piero Gasperini will speak at a press conference at Trigoria tomorrow at 13:30, while the pre-match training session is scheduled for 15:00. Paulo Dybala is among the possible returns and could be available at least for the bench. Swiss referee Sandro Scharer will take charge of the match, assisted by De Almeida and Erni, with Kanagasingam as fourth official. San will be at the VAR, assisted by Kwiatkowski as AVAR. Scharer has already refereed Roma twice, and both matches ended in Giallorossi victories: a 2-0 win over Real Sociedad in March 2023 and a 2-1 win over Athletic Bilbao in March 2025, with the decisive goal scored by Shomurodov late on. Stephan El Shaarawy returned to the Olimpico as an opponent, a special occasion for him after ten seasons in the giallorosso. He left Roma last summer to join Genoa. Started by De Rossi, the Pharaoh came close to scoring with a long-range effort that hit the crossbar, and he received warm applause from the crowd when he was substituted. After the match he shared his emotions on social media: "On one side the bitterness of a defeat that hurts, on the other the emotion of returning to a stadium that for ten years was my home." He then thanked the fans: "Thank you Roma, thank you Romanisti, for making me feel, once again, one of you. The past deserves gratitude, the present deserves all of me, respect and belonging."