Matías Soulé

Roma have officially extended the contract of Emanuele Lulli until 30 June 2031, with coach Gian Piero Gasperini expressing satisfaction ahead of the Cagliari match. The club's news roundup, published after the 3-3 draw at Napoli, also covered fitness updates, Gasperini's comments on the injured players, and Napoli's appeal against Massimiliano Allegri's suspension. Roma now turn their attention to the home fixture against Cagliari. Gasperini gave an update on the injured players in his press conference. Paulo Dybala is the player closest to a return and could be named among the substitutes, a decision expected after the afternoon training session. Manu Koné is unlikely to return before the international break. Mile Svilar's availability is closer, and he could return within the week, or at the latest for the matches against Manchester United or Sassuolo. Gasperini praised the progress of the team and of individual players, with a mention for Matías Soulé, who was prominent at the Maradona. He said Roma are showing courage, solidity and continuity, and coming through well against top-level opponents. Cagliari coach Fabio Pisacane described Roma as a side that "rarely goes to the canvas", highlighting their ability to recover ground and stay dangerous when they push forward. He said Cagliari must identify and exploit the few weaknesses in the Giallorossi while staying focused and intense throughout the match. Roma officially confirmed the renewal of Emanuele Lulli until 30 June 2031. The winger, who made his professional debut and scored his first goal against Genoa, has signed a five-year deal confirming the club's intention to build around him for the future. Gasperini said: "Lulli's progress has been remarkable" in recognition of a player born in 2007 who has been rewarded with a long-term contract. Napoli have rejected the decision of the Giudice Sportivo and announced an appeal against the two-match suspension handed to Massimiliano Allegri after the 3-3 draw with Roma. The Napoli coach had been punished for protests directed at match officials in the tense closing stages at the Maradona. In a club statement, Napoli said: "La SSC Napoli, in seguito alla richiesta di accesso agli atti, comunica che presenterà ricorso per le due giornate di squalifica inflitte a mister Massimiliano Allegri."

Roma host Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday 27 October at 20:45 in the ninth round of Serie A, with Gian Piero Gasperini weighing up some changes after the 3-3 draw at Napoli's Maradona. Roma remain unbeaten in Serie A and sit third with 18 points from eight matches, having drawn their head-to-head clashes against Inter, Como and Napoli. Cagliari, coached by Fabio Pisacane, are ninth on 13 points and come into the game on the back of two consecutive defeats, against Monza and Bologna. Roma are looking to return immediately to winning ways to stay within touching distance of the top of the table. The trip to Naples was described as a costly one, and Gasperini is considering some rotation. Dybala is returning towards the matchday squad but is expected to start on the bench. Svilar, Koné and Pellegrini are ruled out. Gollini keeps his place in goal, while Ghilardi could get a chance in defence alongside N'Dicka and Balerdi. Cristante starts in midfield from the first minute alongside Pisilli. Lulli and Molina are favoured on the flanks, with Soulé and Rodrigo Mora expected to support Malen up front. For Cagliari, Pisacane must do without Winks, who is sidelined by lumbar pain, as well as Felici and Idrissi. Trepy returns to the matchday squad. Yerry Mina is set to return to the starting line-up in defence, while Sugawara and Zé Pedro compete for a place on the right. Gagliardini will take Winks' place in midfield, with Maldini and Adopo expected to play behind Mendy, although Kevin Carlos remains a possible option. The match will be broadcast exclusively on DAZN, available through the DAZN app on smart TVs, smartphones, tablets, consoles and computers. There will be no live broadcast on the traditional Sky Sport channels. Kick-off at the Stadio Olimpico is set for 20:45 on Tuesday 27 October. Bookmakers make Roma clear favourites. A Roma win is priced on average between 1.33 and 1.35, a draw around 4.90-5.00, and a Cagliari win between 8.25 and 9.60. The market also expects a game with at least three goals, with Over 2.5 favoured over Under, and No Goal offered at a slightly lower price than Goal. The 2-0 correct score to Roma carries the shortest odds at around 6.50, ahead of 1-0 and 2-1. ROMA (3-4-2-1): Gollini; Ghilardi, Ndicka, Balerdi; Lulli, Cristante, Pisilli, Molina; Soulé, Mora; Malen. Manager: Gasperini. CAGLIARI (4-3-2-1): Caprile; Sugawara, Mina, Rodriguez, Obert; Romano, Gagliardini, Deiola; Adopo, Maldini; Mendy. Manager: Pisacane. Referee: Ermanno Feliciani (Teramo). Assistants: Zingarelli and Fontani. Fourth official: Mariani. VAR: Ghersini. AVAR: Camplone.

Roma host Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico in a midweek fixture for the ninth matchday of Serie A, and the probable line-ups have been published, with Balerdi and Lulli starting from the first minute and Marten de Roon rested. Mora is expected to play in attack alongside Soulé. The match is a home fixture for Gian Piero Gasperini's side, who return to the pitch in midweek after the weekend's league programme. Balerdi and Lulli, both defenders, are named in the starting eleven, while de Roon sits out the game. The probable line-ups are reported by the Italian outlet Forzaroma.info, which is shown as the preferred source for Roma news. The article was published on 26 October 2026 at 18:24.

Roma coach Gian Piero Gasperini addressed the press at the Fulvio Bernardini training centre in Trigoria on Monday 26 October, two days ahead of Roma's Serie A ninth-round match against Cagliari, which kicks off on Tuesday 27 October at 20:45 at the Stadio Olimpico. The coach was speaking just over 48 hours after the dramatic 3-3 draw at the Maradona against Napoli. Paulo Dybala is the only possible returnee from injury and is close to being back in the squad, with Gasperini saying he has good confidence and will decide that afternoon whether Dybala goes on the bench. Rotations are probable, but will depend on the opponent. Cagliari are coached by Fabio Pisacane. Gasperini also addressed the recent controversy with Massimiliano Allegri. Asked about the impact of Allegri's comment, he said: "I didn't hear it, you reported it and surely it was like that. There are the numbers, the testimonies, the data, on last year's matches. I haven't read a favourable comment on this observation, which was without doubt unfortunate. There's no need to add anything else." On the squad's progress, he said the improvement is continuous, adding: "We have reached a way of playing and facing matches that we can repeat over time. There is growth across the whole squad but also individually in many players. The environment also pushes us to be brave and proactive, to face the toughest matches and always do our part." On Matías Soulé, who has been described as a technical leader, Gasperini said: "Unfortunately he had a stop for a groin problem. But this year he restarted from the first half of last season. The other evening he was extraordinary, but the previous ones were also of high level. He is 23 and sometimes we forget it. He still has margins of maturity in every aspect that can make him ever stronger. He is playing in several roles, even on the right, as a full-back, and the other evening he played as a trequartista and scored. He has an important maturity and confidence. He loses fewer balls but can still improve. He works very well to grow, and he was also called up with Argentina, which is another good sign." On Lulli, who is close to a contract renewal, Gasperini said: "No, there we have four players doing very well. Rensch is doing very well, Molina has a very high performance level, Wesley is now a player of absolute value. I'm happy for Lulli, he deserves it. Everyone's goal is to improve individually to make the team even stronger." On conceding in big matches, he said: "Our attitude is always very positive. The goals are all different; in those against Real Madrid we were more at fault than in Anguissa's, who scored a masterpiece. We are not machines, sometimes we make technical errors. The approach however is always positive." He also praised the defensive set-piece work and said Hermoso had defended on Diomandé, Vinicius and then Endrick against Real. On the three draws in big matches, he said: "They were three different but good games. In all three we came out very well, we perhaps deserved more but certainly not less. We haven't won but neither have the others." On Napoli, he added: "We found ourselves 2-0 down but we came back and had the confidence we could win. Then we thought we had lost it and then we equalised again. We must look at the 90 minutes." On injuries, Gasperini said Koné is unlikely to be available before the international break, while Svilar could return on Thursday or Friday but with doubts. He added: "We hope to have him for Manchester or for the last one against Sassuolo." He said the squad must focus on itself, noting the spell without Svilar and others such as Dybala, Koné and Pellegrini, and that the injuries are a consequence of playing every three days. Asked about regaining possession in the opponent's box, he said: "We have been working on it for a long time. It is not always like that, but looking for recovery even in the opponent's area is a characteristic we have often put on the pitch."

Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini says he is confident Paulo Dybala can recover in time to be included on the bench for the match against Cagliari at the Stadio Olimpico. Speaking at his press conference to preview the league fixture, Gasperini said: "The only possible one is Dybala's, but we'll see this afternoon. We'll try to get him onto the bench. I'm quite confident. Today is the first training session and it already feels like the eve of the match, I'll decide today. We'll probably rotate, but we'll see depending on the opponent." Roma drew at Napoli in their last outing, and Cagliari, coached by Pisacane, come to the capital after a defeat to Bologna. Gasperini was also asked about Massimiliano Allegri's comment on Roma's big-match record. He said: "I didn't hear it, you reported it. There are the numbers, the testimonies, the data, on last year's matches. I haven't read a favourable comment on this observation, which was undoubtedly unfortunate. There's no need to add anything else." On the improvement in the team's level, he said: "It's continuous, the goal is always to get better. There's never a limit to that. We have reached a way of playing and facing matches that we can repeat over time. There is growth across the whole squad but also individually in some players. The environment also pushes us to be brave and proactive." On Matías Soulé, who has been described as a technical leader, Gasperini said: "Last year he had a stop because of his groin problem. This year he has restarted from where he left off last year's first half of the season. The other night was extraordinary, but so were the matches before it. He is 23 and sometimes we forget that. He has room to mature that can take him to be ever stronger. He is playing in several roles, including on the right, as a full-back, and the other night he played as a trequartista and scored. He has an important maturity and confidence. He loses fewer balls but can still improve. He works very hard to grow, and he has also been called up by Argentina." On Lulli, Gasperini said: "We have players who are doing very well there. I'm happy for Lulli, he deserves it. Everyone's goal is to improve individually to make the team even stronger." On whether the team concedes too much in big matches, he said the attitude is always very positive, adding: "The goals are all different. In the ones against Real Madrid we were more at fault than in Anguissa's, who scored a wonder goal. We aren't machines, sometimes we make technical errors. The approach, however, is always positive. On set pieces we have been very solid apart from a few games. Opponents also matter. We have conceded to everyone." On Roma changing defenders during comebacks, he said: "A bit of both. With five substitutions it can happen that you change defenders because opponents bring on fresh and very strong players. Against Real, Hermoso marked Diomandé, then Vinicius and then Endrick. In that role you need fresh players. We also have a good tendency to score in defence, especially in the air. They are very effective. It's part of finding solutions during the match." On the three draws in big matches, he said: "They were three different but good games. In all three we came out of them very well. I don't know if we deserved more, but certainly not less. We didn't win, but neither did the others. The path is definitely positive." On what is missing to win big matches, he said: "They are balanced games, where you play on the quality of finishing. In Naples we found ourselves 2-0 down but came back and had the confidence we could win. Then we thought we had lost it, and in the end we drew again. We must look at the 90 minutes. We had difficulties, but overall we came out of these matches very well. If I weigh up what we gave and what we got, we leave these games aware we played on an equal footing." On injuries, Gasperini said Koné is unlikely to be available before the international break. Mile Svilar could return on Thursday or Friday, but with a doubt. He added: "We hope to have him for Manchester or for Sassuolo." On the squad's stretch without Svilar, Dybala, Koné and Pellegrini, he said: "We are holding up and getting results. When we are at full strength it is better, but over a season it will happen to the others too. It's because we play every three days. Playing this often brings injuries, you have to accept that." Asked about winning the ball back high up the pitch, he said: "We have been working on it for some time. It isn't always like that, but looking for the recovery even inside the opponent's box is a feature we have often put on the pitch."

Roman radio pundits have given their verdicts on Roma's draw at Napoli, with several focusing on the performances of Wesley and Gollini and on Roma's attacking problems. Lorenzo Pes of Tele Radio Stereo (92.7) said: "At Napoli, Wesley didn't convince me fully. He was very much in the shadows, and it was perhaps one of the worst performances in giallorosso. Now we'll see if he plays tomorrow, because Gasp could change the team there. I've heard a lot about Gollini. In my opinion, he's putting in a performance worth a pass mark." Piero Torri of Manà Manà Sport (90.9) argued that the match narrative had been too kind to Napoli. He said: "I read an enthusiastic narrative about Napoli and a bit less about Roma. I didn't see Napoli dominate the first hour. The run of play was in Roma's hands, as they wanted to win it, and Napoli were countering. Perhaps it was Napoli's best performance of the season, but Roma didn't steal anything. I'm convinced that if Roma had gone ahead, it would have ended up being a tight game." Roberto Pruzzo of Radio Radio (104.5) was critical of the match as a whole. He said: "Beukema threw himself to the ground, he made a terrible impression, and if he had stayed on his feet perhaps he wouldn't have let his side concede. I agreed with almost nothing in the game; it was a festival of errors. Napoli threw away two points with a way of playing I struggle to understand. Roma struggled a lot but managed to get the better of it, and in the end it's an acceptable draw. There are clear attacking difficulties when Malen is shut out, and in January they are thinking about addressing it." Nando Orsi, also of Radio Radio (104.5), focused on the positions of Matías Soulé and Paulo Dybala. He said: "Soulé is left-footed, he likes coming inside onto the pitch and he plays better there. In my view, Dybala has nothing to do with it and isn't some kind of submission; for me it's purely a question of roles. He plays better there. Having two players like that and using them both could be a problem, because I think Dybala on the left doesn't perform at his best either."