“[Lorenzo] Pellegrini and [Leon] Bailey have got the flu, although they were injured anyway. [Niccolo] Pisilli should recover, hopefully. [Mario] Hermoso has recovered and we need to look at Wesley, who has a few niggles. There’s quite a bit going on and we’ll need to make some decisions but I’m sure we’ll try to get everyone fit for a match like this. We’ll be highly motivated.”
Those were the latest injury updates from Gian Piero Gasperini during his pre-match press conference on Saturday. Fortunately
for Roma, the flu hasn’t affected any of the players who are fit to play, and Hermoso’s recovery comes at a crucial moment, given Evan Ndicka’s absence for AFCON. Gasperini was also asked about his center-backs and the increasingly important role of Jan Ziolkowski in Ndicka’s stead.
“With Celik playing wide, we have five defenders, with Ndicka at AFCON and [Gianluca] Mancini and Hermoso one card away from a ban, in a team that wants to stay in the Coppa Italia and in the Europa League, and certainly in Serie A. I’ve never been one for huge squads. I’m looking at the academy too but at the moment I think all the academies are a bit less prolific than they were in the past. In any case, you need a squad of at least 20 players plus the goalkeepers. Sometimes you have to go with players who play less, like Ziolkowski, and give them time to become as reliable as Mancini or Ndicka. That’s the aim. Those are the numbers. You don’t need an enormous squad but a complete squad.”
Those are certainly encouraging words from the manager, as Roma will rely on Ziolkowski, Mancini, and Hermoso for as long as Ndicka is away. Despite the niggles reported for Wesley, we still expect the Brazilian to start wide on the left, with Çelik on the right. Given El Aynaoui’s absence at AFCON and Pisilli’s ongoing recovery, the usual Cristante–Koné pairing should patrol the center of the pitch.
Meanwhile, Evan Ferguson should again lead the line with support from Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé. Gasperini spoke about Dybala during his presser as well.
“I like Dybala when he scores and when he helps others to score. He has to get forward, get into the box, time his runs, and when we’re struggling he has to help the team. With his technique and his football intelligence he can help us when the opponents are in our area. But the real Dybala is the one who scores goals, sets up team-mates, takes free kicks and set-pieces. Those things.”
ROMA (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ziolkowski, Hermoso; Çelik, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Dybala; Ferguson.
