Roma’s margin for error is gone. Not shrinking, not tightening. It’s gone. A run of poor results, including damaging losses to direct competitors, dragged the Giallorossi out of the top four and left them chasing from sixth, staring up at a Champions League place that’s starting to feel like a pipe dream. Injuries continue to gut the squad, with Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk, Evan Ferguson, and now Wesley all unavailable, so Roma head into the most difficult fixture on their schedule needing three points
they are not particularly well-equipped to take.
Inter’s squad is arguably the most complete in Italy, and while maybe full-strength Roma could take three points from them, it’s a whole lot harder to envision a win with so many star players out. Strip out this many difference-makers and the side is fundamentally less capable of matching Inter over ninety minutes. Against a side this deep, this drilled, and this ruthless, Roma will need to be clever to get the win.
Match Details
Date: April 5th
Kickoff: 20:45/2:45 EDT
Venue: San Siro, Milano
Referee: Simone Sozza
The path to Champions League football still exists, even if it is narrow. Como, currently holding that coveted fourth spot, face Inter next week. Win here, and Roma at least give themselves a lifeline: a scenario where Inter do them a favor by beating Como, dragging the race back into reach and setting up a final stretch that actually matters. Lose, and the gap between Roma and Como might just become insurmountable. It’s closing time for the Giallorossi—can they pull a rabbit out of their hat and get the win?
What to Watch For
Can Soulé Surge Back and Save This Squad?
Roma have been a shell of themselves without Matias Soulé. The Argentine forward has been out for roughly six weeks with a groin issue, missing five straight Serie A matches and leaving Roma without their most natural creator in the final third. In that stretch, the attack has flattened into something far more predictable, with the burden falling almost entirely on Donyell Malen to generate anything resembling danger. The resulting lack of ideas in the front third is one of the biggest reasons Roma has been underperforming, and it only goes to show just how essential Soulé has become for this side.
That makes the timing of his return about as dramatic as it gets. Reports indicate that Soulé has returned to training, is nearing full fitness, and could not only be available against Inter but is pushing to be involved immediately, potentially even from the start. With Paulo Dybala still out, there is no one else in this squad who can reliably bend a match to their will in the attacking phase, so if Roma are going to create anything at the San Siro, it will almost certainly have to run through Soulé.
The prospect of Soulé‘s return could truly bring a spark of life to this attack. If you pair Soulé’s creativity and willingness to take risks with Malen’s directness and movement, you have the outline of an attack that can actually stress a defense, which is something Roma simply haven’t had in recent weeks. Against a goalkeeper like Yann Sommer, that unpredictability is essential. Roma are not going to outmuscle Inter or outlast them; the only viable path is to out-create them. If there’s a version of that in this squad, it starts and ends with Soulé.
Can Zaragoza Start to Shine?
The desperation for the return of Matias Soulé shouldn’t imply that Bryan Zaragoza has been bad; he just hasn’t been nearly enough. Since arriving in January, he’s shown flashes of the player Roma thought they were getting: quick feet, sudden acceleration, the ability to destabilize a defender in space. But the production hasn’t followed. In Serie A, he’s managed just 0 goals and 1 assist in limited minutes, with only four appearances and 135 minutes played so far. That’s hardly the return of a player brought in to help carry an attack chasing Champions League football.
The underlying profile is still intriguing, which is part of the frustration. Even in a limited sample, Zaragoza’s numbers suggest a player who can create the chaos a Gasperini side needs. He’s averaging over a key pass per match and has shown strong dribbling volume in prior spells, consistently ranking high in take-ons and progressive actions. But right now Roma needs actual output, immediately.
That tension came through clearly in Gian Piero Gasperini’s pre-match comments. “Did I expect more from Zaragoza? Definitely,” he admitted. “We all expected something more.” He pointed to the winger’s “significant acceleration” and referenced the moment in Naples that led to Donyell Malen’s goal, but the broader message was unmistakable: flashes aren’t enough anymore. He added that January arrivals often need time, but made the stakes explicit: Roma now need Zaragoza “to make the contribution we expected.” The reality is plain: if Roma are going to salvage their season, Zaragoza has to stop looking interesting and start being decisive.
