Roma heads to Pisa tomorrow for what is a slightly easier match than their first one of the 2025/2026 season. Although it’s cool to see Pisa back in Serie A for the first time since the ‘90s, the win over Bologna should give Romanisti more confidence in getting three points against a new side primarily built to survive for another season in Serie A (as opposed to that Bologna side intent on pushing for another year in European competitions). A confident win in Tuscany would be a boon for the Giallorossi,
particularly as none of their main opponents for Champions League football are expected to handle a major test either.
That confident win has to come about through professionalism. Gian Piero Gasperini has to make sure his players handle their business firmly, without giving Pisa a reason to believe, allowing for a return to Rome for next week’s match against Torino a perfect six for six. Meanwhile, if Pisa do impress tomorrow, it will likely be imposing chaos on the match. Minnows usually shock a big club by making things ugly, involving their tifosi as much as possible, and poking at Goliath’s weakest spots. One game won’t define the season, but how Roma handle nights like this will tell us a lot about whether they’re actually ready to make the leap to Champions League and more that Gasperini was brought in to deliver.
What To Watch For
Dybala’s Back Starting, But How Much Will He Play?
Although Roma has injected quite a lot of new blood into its attack over the last year and a half, the one constant in the forward positions has been Paulo Dybala—at least, whenever he’s healthy. Yet as Dybala gets older, Roma is beginning to acknowledge that, much like Francesco Totti in the later stages of his career, Roma’s Argentine legend cannot birth every offensive spark himself.
Gian Piero Gasperini said as much in his pre-match presser, complimenting Dybala while also stating that Roma needs to be able to win as a team first, instead of relying on magic from one superstar:
There’s a Roma, and Dybala is an added value when he’s fit and healthy. He’s got extraordinary feet, he’s a great player; there aren’t many who create such a huge value. Roma must have its own identity and its own strength, regardless of the individual, who can then contribute something more.
Thankfully for all involved, Dybala is reportedly back in Roma’s starting lineup for tomorrow’s match versus Pisa; Gasperini’s right that Roma must be able to win without any specific player, but Dybala just makes it so much easier that we all have to appreciate every match he’s able to start. The real question, though, is how much Gasperini will actually use him. It’s one thing to pencil Dybala back into the XI, it’s another to ask him to go full throttle for 90 minutes in late August, away to a newly promoted side. Given his injury history, common sense suggests we’ll see something closer to 60–65 minutes, with the hope that Roma can have the match in hand before Gasperini has to turn to the bench.
Match Details
Date: August 39th
Kickoff: 20:45 CET/2:45 EDT
Venue: Arena Garibaldi, Pisa
Referee: Giuseppe Collu
Forecast: 76°F/50% chance of precipitation
That’s where the balance of this revamped attack comes in. Hopefully, the likes of Matías Soulé, Evan Ferguson, and Neil El Aynaoui can ensure that Dybala doesn’t have to do it all tomorrow. I’m particularly intrigued to see how the Soulé/Dybala playing relationship develops in smaller-stakes matches like this one. Soulé’s already shown himself to be far more than a winger with some neat dribbles up his sleeve; he looks like someone who can actually share creative responsibility, which is exactly what Roma have been crying out for. If he and Dybala can start to develop a rhythm together by trading positions, drawing defenders out of shape, and giving each other space to operate, it could give Gasperini the kind of dual-threat attack that forces opponents to pick their poison.
Is This The End for Dovbyk in Rome?
With all due respect to Tommaso Baldanzi and Anass Salah-Eddine, the major storyline in Roma’s slowly-wrapping summer mercato is without a doubt the future of Artem Dovbyk—and whether his time in the capital is already drawing to a close. The Ukrainian striker arrived last year having just been La Liga’s capocannoniere, and he carried with him a reputation as a relentless goalscorer. However, between injuries, inconsistent finishing, and the arrival of new attacking options like Evan Ferguson this summer, his spot in the pecking order has started to slip. Gasperini was asked about Dovbyk in his pre-match press conference and, while supportive, his comments read more like a request for another audition from the Ukrainian than a vote of long-term confidence:
“Unfortunately, he had an early layoff. I think he’s been a positive player, always working incredibly hard. I have no criticism for him. What I expect tomorrow is for him to bring all his energy to the table to achieve the result.”
I’ll be honest, even with Paulo Dybala getting older and the sheer heft of Dovbyk’s transfer fee and resumé, it’s hard to see how Dovbyk forces himself back into the starting conversation as Evan Ferguson and Matías Soulé establish themselves as the attacking future of the club—save for an undeniable run of goals. Meanwhile, the rumor mill is buzzing about a swap deal between Roma and AC Milan involving Santiago Giménez, a younger striker who at first glance feels like a better fit for Gian Piero Gasperini’s quick-transition attack.
Whether or not that deal materializes before the window shuts, the very fact that it’s being floated suggests Roma are at least starting to plan for a future without Dovbyk. Although he won’t be starting tomorrow against Pisa, tomorrow’s match could be one of Dovbyk’s last opportunities to convince Gasperini and the club that he still has a role to play in Rome’s project if he does make the pitch at one point or another.
Arena in the Squad—Just A Reward, Or Something Real?
Gasperini did slip in a little surprise when announcing the traveling squad for tomorrow’s match: 16-year-old Italian-Australian striker (#10 in this year’s Chiesa di Totti U-23 Youth Rankings) Antonio Arena will make the trip to Pisa. Asked about the decision, Gasperini kept it low-key:
“Tomorrow our attack will feature Ferguson, Dybala, El Shaarawy, Baldanzi, and Soulé. Arena will also be included; he piqued my interest in training, and I’m bringing him along, so I’m starting to get to know him.”
On the surface, this looks like a classic case of rewarding a youngster who’s caught the coach’s eye, but it could also be something more, particularly since it’s happening only on the second matchday of the season. Gasperini’s reputation for giving youth a shot suggests this might not just be a ceremonial call-up, particularly with the Giallorossi trying and failing to bring in additional young attacking talent to support an already-young group as this summer mercato draws to a close. Add in the fact that Arena is quite new to Rome period—he only joined the side in July, and as a Primavera signing at that—and his sudden elevation into the senior matchday squad should raise eyebrows, and maybe heart rates, among the Giallorossi faithful.
Even if he doesn’t see the pitch in Pisa, the experience of traveling with the senior squad at 16 is significant in itself. It signals that Gasperini is looking beyond the established names and is willing to accelerate Primavera players’ development if any of them prove ready. For a Roma side that has struggled to integrate academy talent into the first team in recent years, Arena’s inclusion is worth watching. Although he may not be a true academy graduate, who knows? Maybe we’re about to see the start of a new Roman Golden Generation thanks to Gasperini’s openness to youth.
