After an eventful summer season in Rome, Gian Piero Gasperini’s males lastly take the stage for a match with actual penalties, towards a workforce with more moderen success than the Giallorossi. Can they begin the 2025/2026 off on the correct foot, or will this subsequent iteration of Roma require a little bit of lead time earlier than it’s prepared for prime time?
Right here we go once more. There’s recent paint on the touchlines on the Stadio Olimpico (hopefully), a brand new Mister on the sideline (for the fourth time prior to now twelve months), and Roma opening on the Olimpico towards final season’s Cinderella turned severe grown-up, Bologna. Beneath Gian Piero Gasperini, Roma’s tempo in preseason went from espresso to doppio: as all of us anticipated, GPG’s ways are prioritizing man-to-man urgent, verticality, and robust wingbacks on jet gas. With that in thoughts—and the truth that Leon Bailey has already gone down with damage after his first coaching session (ridiculous)—tomorrow’s match towards Bologna ought to be a real litmus take a look at for a way shortly Gasperini’s concepts are touchdown earlier than the bruises and lactic acid set in.
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For these of you who haven’t been following together with Bologna’s summer season transfers, it’s been an eventful couple months for I Rossoblu. Marco Di Vaio added expertise and finish product on the wings by bringing Federico Bernardeschi again to Serie A from Toronto FC on a free. Whereas he’s undoubtedly obtained much less tread on the tires in comparison with when he plied his wares at Juventus, he’ll nonetheless fortunately shoot from Trastevere in the event you let him reduce inside. Bologna additionally bolstered at center-back with Martin Vitík from Sparta Prague, a 22-year-old, 1.93m Czech defender who profiles because the inheritor to Sam Beukema’s minutes now that he’s been bought to Napoli. Past these higher-profile strikes, Bologna added Nicolò Casale after he impressed the brass whereas on mortgage from Lazio final season, whereas veteran striker (and former Laziale) Ciro Motionless joined a free, as a result of Bologna apparently collects strikers like I accumulate Jim Croce on vinyl.
Match Particulars
Date: August twenty third
Kickoff: 20:45 CET/2:45 EDT
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Venue: Stadio Olimpico, Roma
Referee: Luca Zufferli
That’s a number of know-how for a squad that already confirmed severe mettle by successful final 12 months’s Coppa Italia. If Roma win convincingly tomorrow, it gained’t be as a result of Bologna isn’t spectacular anymore. It will likely be as a result of the Giallorossi are able to combat for Champions League qualification and extra within the 2025/2026 season—for actual this time.
What to Watch ForFerguson v. Dovbyk: Who Will get the Begin?
If there’s one query seemingly on everybody’s thoughts about gamers already in Roma kits, it’s whether or not Gian Piero Gasperini’s tactical revolution will lead to Evan Ferguson or Artem Dovbyk main the workforce sheet extra usually. Ferguson has been nothing in need of sensational in pre-season, netting 5 objectives in simply 281 minutes of play, together with his outstanding four-goal debut in a 9-0 thrashing of UniPomezia. In my eyes, his dynamic motion, sharp urgent, and medical ending have been a breath of recent air, and you actually get why Gasperini and Frederic Massara introduced him in for the high-intensity system Roma will now be utilizing. Experiences point out that Ferguson is predicted to start out over Dovbyk, who has solely scored as soon as in 305 pre-season minutes whereas fighting health.
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And but I wouldn’t rely out Roma’s newly-baptized quantity 9 simply but because the nominal beginning striker transferring ahead. Dovbyk has struggled to adapt to Gasperini’s urgent calls for regardless of his 17-goal tally final season, however that doesn’t imply he’s doomed to a switch out. The Ukrainian striker’s bodily presence and aerial prowess are plain, and that might be the true distinction maker, even when his match throughout the new system is underneath scrutiny. Roma are reportedly open to affords for Dovbyk, with golf equipment like Napoli and Villareal displaying curiosity. Because the season progresses and the summer season mercato begins to wind down, will probably be actually be intriguing to see if Dovbyk can adapt to Gasperini’s fashion or if Ferguson’s early kind secures him a everlasting spot within the beginning XI.
When Roma secured the €23 million signing of Neil El Aynaoui from Lens in July, many Romanisti have been… unenthusiastic. The fanbase had been anticipating a coup-level signing of Membership World Cup star Richard Rios, just for that switch to disintegrate on the final second, main the Colombian to maneuver to Benfica. El Aynaoui, together with his comparatively modest Ligue 1 pedigree, appeared like an underwhelming comfort prize.
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Nevertheless, the midfielder’s performances throughout pre-season have swiftly silenced these critics. El Aynaoui’s integration into Gian Piero Gasperini’s system has been virtually seamless, showcasing his adaptability, health, and technical prowess. Within the pre-season pleasant towards Everton, he was the instrumental power behind Roma’s 1-0 win, demonstrating his means to manage the tempo and hyperlink play successfully towards a Premier League-level facet. As well as, his versatility ought to permit him to function each as a central midfielder and in additional superior roles, offering Gasperini with tactical flexibility.
Bologna’s protection will current a formidable problem to El Aynaoui in his first significant match in a Roma equipment. Particularly, Jhon Lucumí’s physicality and aerial prowess might take a look at El Aynaoui’s means to dictate play underneath strain. Nevertheless, if he can replicate his pre-season performances, El Aynaoui has the potential to unlock Bologna’s protection and make a big affect in his first aggressive match for Roma—and given how properly he dealt with the strain he obtained from Romanisti throughout pre-season, some urgent from Lucumí shouldn’t be too tall an order to beat as properly.
