If any Romanista expected the Giallorossi to start their season in this particular fashion, I’d like to hire them as my own personal psychic. Four matches into the Serie A season, and Roma are undefeated with an eye-watering +11 goal differential, thanks to world-class performances throughout the side, but particularly from Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala. That perfect start and strong offensive play has translated into the Giallorossi standing atop the Serie A table, and the media is starting to take
notice. Now we’re starting to hear about the idea of Roma as the “anti-Inter,” the one club that can truly give last year’s Scudetto champions a run for their money.
Do I buy that? Not yet. Right now, the most important thing to me is that Roma is playing entertaining football and winning. I’ve also been burned before; Roma’s ten-match unbeaten streak to start the first Rudi Garcia season is still etched into my brain, and while Roma weren’t unsuccessful with Rudi, they didn’t win any titles; at their best, they were firmly in second behind Juventus, not a true contender for the Scudetto. I’m trying to remain calm by suggesting Roma are in a good position, the door is open for a million possibilities for the rest of the season. To quote Lawrence of Arabia: nothing is written (for better and for worse).
Match Details
Date: September 19th
Kickoff: 18:00 CET/12:00 EDT
Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Roma
Referee: Davide Massa
That brings us to tomorrow’s match against Inter. On paper it’s a statement game; a win and we’re Scudetto contenders, a loss and we’re bums again. I’d rather it weren’t treated as one. If Roma win, the “anti-Inter” talk will reach a pitch no side can sustain in September. If they lose, the narrative will snap back to “same old Roma” just as fast. Neither reading is fair. It would be match five of thirty-eight, and it will tell us how this team handles a real test against a title contender, not whether it is one itself. That second question is a question for March. When I watch tomorrow’s match, I’m going to do what the Garcia years taught me about watching a side where everything is clicking: enjoy it, but hold my conclusions for later.
What to Watch For
Is Lulli Ready for the Big Boys?
The rise of Emanuele Lulli has coincided with the rise of Roma as purported title contenders, and there are a lot of similarities between these two stories. Both Lulli and Roma have impressed early and consistently; both Lulli and Roma have seized on the resurgence of Paulo Dybala to find success; both Lulli and Roma have announced themselves as fixtures of Serie A for the long term. Another way they are aligned? Both need to prove themselves against a true giant of the league before the hype train can truly leave the station. Lulli has looked like an experienced star wingback despite being only 19 (and not even featuring on our youth countdown this year!), and with that has come the attention of the media and Italian national team manager Roberto Mancini. For that attention to be truly justified, however, Lulli must now impress against Inter.
The good news for Lulli is that Gasperini seems set to trust him in the kind of game that will test him most. The rumor mongers favor Lulli to start over Nahuel Molina on the right, based on the logic that Lulli provides more defensive cover. That matters because tomorrow’s job for the wingback will be both marauding up into the attack and stopping Federico Dimarco. Christian Chivu is expected to pair Dimarco with Curtis Jones, who will be filling in for the injured Hakan Calhanoglu. Because Jones can move into central spaces and then drift wide to create overloads, Lulli may often be defending against two players. My goal for Lulli isn’t for him to score, or have a sick highlight reel from this match. For me to be convinced that Lulli is Roma and Italy’s future at right-back, he needs to not be the player Inter target when they’re attacking, in a game whose winner may take sole possession of first place. If he can do that, the hype around both Lulli and Roma will look a whole lot less premature.
Will Wesley Look the Part?
While Emanuele Lulli still has a lot to prove, Wesley’s consistent excellence has confirmed him as one of the best wing-backs in Italy, if not the world. The 23-year-old Brazilian international has already impressed to start the 2026/2027 season, averaging a 7.53 WhoScored rating and truly making his side of the pitch his own from box to box. However, it’s notable that Wesley had to miss the last match against Torino due to injury. Roma turned out just fine without him, but given his importance to the side, it’s encouraging to see that reports suggest he will be back in the starting lineup for tomorrow’s showdown with Inter. Just as Lulli will need to battle Federico Dimarco, Wesley will need to battle Andy Diouf while marauding up the pitch, while also worrying about the likes of Yann Bisseck, Manuel Akanji, and Alessandro Bastoni as he attempts to send crosses in for Donyell Malen and Paulo Dybala.
Everything about tomorrow’s match screams that the Giallorossi need Wesley at his best to get a positive result. Gasperini says the whole squad is available, so the question is less whether Wesley is fit to play and more how Gasperini manages him for 90 minutes in a game like this. If Wesley is ready from the jump and can pressure Inter’s defense from the first minute, that will set up Roma to be in the driver’s seat for the entire match; if he isn’t ready to push, Roma may find that they need to play in a contained, defensive manner far more often than they have to start the season. That difference in ability to play Gasperini-Ball could be the difference between a convincing win and a draw or loss. Being a player as talented as Wesley is a blessing from God; with that, however, comes responsibility. Gian Piero Gasperini has to hope that the Brazilian is up for the challenge if he wants a win tomorrow.
