Fenerbahçe prepare for Roma opener with Asensio sidelined

At least 1,300 Roma supporters are expected at the Dacia Arena for Udinese v Roma, after the away tickets sold out within a few days. The neighbouring sector has also sold out, and the home stadium is likely to be filled with Roma fans. The two sets of supporters are linked by a friendship between their ultras, and several fans will also be scattered across other parts of the stadium. The match is scheduled for Saturday at 18:00. The fixture comes three days before Roma's trip to Manchester, where an exodus of Roma fans is also expected at Old Trafford. More than 3,000 are set to travel to England for that match. The travelling support in both cities underlines the size of the following Roma are taking into the coming week. The travelling numbers show how strongly Roma supporters are backing the club across both fixtures, with the Udinese away end and the Manchester trip expected to be among the biggest displays of the week.

Roma and Juventus have reportedly identified Genoa midfielder Samuel Wiafe, a 2008-born player, as a prospect to strengthen their midfield. Scouts from several of Serie A's biggest clubs were in the stands on Sunday to watch him closely, and both clubs are said to be evaluating him with a long-term view. Genoa bought the player in the summer from Modena for 2.5 million plus bonuses. In Roma's own news, Rodrigo Mora could get a first-team start against Cagliari. With Lorenzo Pellegrini out and Paulo Dybala at best likely to be on the bench, the Portuguese hopes to find room in his natural role. According to Il Messaggero, Gasperini sees Mora not as an alternative to Matías Soulé but mainly as the deputy for Dybala: a pure number ten, to be involved more between the lines and in the final pass. Roma's match against Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico is expected to draw around 60,000 spectators. It is the last home game before a double away trip: the Giallorossi travel to Udine on Saturday, then remain in Friuli to train on Sunday before leaving from Trieste for England, where they face Manchester United in the Champions League on Tuesday.

Pierluigi Gollini is set to play his final matches as Roma's first-choice goalkeeper before handing the number one shirt back to Mile Svilar, who is close to full recovery from a finger injury. Gollini has delivered convincing performances and clean sheets against Como, Genoa and Slovan Bratislava, and has also stood out in high-level clashes against Napoli and Real Madrid, with decisive saves from De Bruyne, Olivera and Politano. Gollini's save percentage stands at 77%, level with Maignan's. His aim is to keep a clean sheet in the next two league fixtures, against Cagliari at the Olimpico and away at Udinese. Roma's medical staff are encouraged by Svilar's progress, and according to Corriere dello Sport, his return to action is scheduled for early November, before the international break. Two possible dates have been identified for his comeback: the Champions League trip to Manchester United at Old Trafford, or the following league match against Sassuolo. On the European front, a specific UEFA rule applies. Vásquez was registered in the squad on 2 October following Svilar's injury, and UEFA regulations require a minimum period of one month before a new change can be made. The window for reinstating Svilar officially opens on 2 November, which theoretically makes it possible for him to be named for the Manchester match the following day. The final decision will rest with the medical staff. If there are any doubts about the risk, Gollini will also guard the goal at Old Trafford.

Cristante is in Roma's squad for the trip to Napoli, according to the squad list published by Il Messaggero. Coach Gian Piero Gasperini is short in the final third, with Pellegrini, Dybala, Svilar and Koné all sidelined. He has only Mora and Soulé behind Malen, and is considering playing Cristante further forward. The squad list names Balerdi, Ghilardi, Hermoso, Koulierakis, Lulli, Mancini, Molina, N'Dicka, Rensch and Wesley in defence; Cristante, De Roon, Mora and Pisilli in midfield; and Malen, Soulé and Castro in attack. Camara and Di Nunzio are also listed. The situation is serious enough that Roma are expected to act in the January transfer window. The club must spend to give Gasperini at least two reinforcements between attack and the flanks. Gittens and Leweling remain on the list, and the club has not ruled out the complicated pursuit of Endrick. A new left-back name has emerged: Alejandro Balde of Barcelona, who is finding few minutes under Flick and has been offered by Jorge Mendes. His name joins that of Oosterwolde. Sky Sport reports that Roma are close to the final details of a contract renewal for Lulli, which would run to 2031. The deal has not yet been officially announced, and the last points must be settled before it is formalised. Speaking to Corriere dello Sport at the Amsterdam stop of the EA7 World Legends Padel Tour, Stekelenburg was asked about Svilar. He said: "If I had to put him in the top five... no, not yet. After all, there are Courtois, Neuer and others. But he is a young lad and he is doing an excellent job. He just has to keep growing." Asked to choose between Højlund and Malen if he were a sporting director, Graziani said: "Malen without thinking twice. Hojlund I like a lot, and sometimes he looks to me like a 'little Lukaku' the way he leads the attack and the physical battles he takes on, and he has a great sense of goal; but Malen is my ideal striker, for the way he attacks space, for his dribbling, for the acceleration he has in the last twenty metres and because he can roam across the whole attacking front."

Roma are reportedly eyeing a left-sided option, and Giallorossi.net's transfer column "Consigli per gli acquisti" has picked Union Berlin left-back Tom Rothe as its latest profile. The column is looking for a left-footed, athletic, physically robust player who can operate across the full flank in Gian Piero Gasperini's system, and Rothe is presented as fitting that brief. Born on 29 October 2004, Rothe is 21 and a natural left-footer standing 1.93 metres and weighing 85 kilos, which is unusually big for a flank player. He came through at St. Pauli and Borussia Dortmund, making his Bundesliga debut for BVB at just 17 and scoring straight away. After a loan spell at Holstein Kiel, where he finished with 4 goals and won promotion to the Bundesliga, Union Berlin bought him in summer 2024 for around 5 million euros. His natural position is left-back, but he can play as a wing-back and could be developed as a left-sided centre-back in a three. The article describes Rothe as more of a physical presence than a typical winger. He is strong in the air, holds his ground in duels and has a long stride, though he is not a pure sprinter, with a top speed of around 31.5 km/h. His main asset is the ability to run the flank continually, carry the attack and offer a physical presence in both phases. The writer argues this mix suits Gasperini's emphasis on one-on-one duels, and that at 21 he has considerable room to grow, so Roma would be buying a player to develop into a starter in the coming years. Rothe is not yet a finished product. He needs to improve the quality of his final pass, the accuracy of his crosses and his attacking one-v-one play. He creates more through physicality, running and runs into the box than through dribbling. He also had a fairly long lay-off between December and March last season. The article finds no pattern that would make him a particularly fragile player, but it is still an aspect to monitor. Union Berlin paid around 5 million euros for him, and his market value is now put at around 10 million euros. Taking into account his age, first-team status and potential, the German club would presumably ask for more, but the deal would still sit within a plausible economic range for Roma. One detail needs checking: when Union signed Rothe, Borussia Dortmund kept a buy-back right. Before any negotiation, it would be necessary to establish whether that clause is still valid and on what terms. The writer concludes that Rothe is not yet ready for a major European club, which is precisely what makes him interesting now. He is 21, left-footed, 1.93 metres tall, a regular in the Bundesliga and part of the Germany Under-21 set-up. Compared with Oosterwolde, he is less explosive but taller and has greater room for growth. The column wants to highlight young, physical players who remain affordable before they become too expensive.

Roma are reportedly considering Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde as a January target to strengthen the flank, according to Il Messaggero. The club's January priorities are an attacking winger, with the club also looking at a wide midfielder or wing-back role. The interest in Balde comes alongside the possible arrival of Oosterwolde, who Roma agreed terms with before the deal fell through after he suffered a serious muscle injury. Balde is considered a perfect fit for the profile Gian Piero Gasperini wants in that position. He is not part of Hansi Flick's plans at Barcelona and has barely played for several months. Jorge Mendes, Balde's agent, could be an important ally in the negotiations. Mendes pushed last summer to bring Mora to Roma, and the super agent could therefore help facilitate this deal too.