Donyell Malen is expected to return to lead the Roma attack when the Giallorossi host Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday evening.
The Giallorossi will host the Slovakian side at the Stadio Olimpico at 20.00 BST on Tuesday evening.
Gian Piero Gaspeirni's side have picked up just one point in the Champions League after the first two rounds of fixtures, having drawn 1-1 away from home against Fenerbahce before falling to a surprisingly disappointing defeat against 15-time Champions Real Madrid last week, losing 4-3 despite having a two-goal lead with 10 minutes to go.
Roma were in Serie A action over the weekend, claiming a 2-0 victory over Genoa in the absence of Malen, who was serving a one-match suspension after being sent off against Como the weekend before.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 17: Emanuele Lulli of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team's second goal with teammate Leonardo Balerdi during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Genoa CFC at Stadio Olimpico on October 17, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Malen's replacement, Santiago Castro, was among the goals at the weekend, and though Gasperini has confirmed that the pair are capable of playing alongside each other in attack, the Dutchman is expected to lead the line on his own against Slovan Bratislava this evening.
Lorenzo Pellegrini joined Gasperini for the pre-match press conferences on Monday afternoon and is also likely to be involved in the starting XI. Pre-match reports from Sky Sport Italia suggest that it will be Matias Soule completing the attacking trident.
Manu Kone and Bryan Cristante are still unavailable, the latter hoping to return to action this weekend, which means that Marten De Roon and Niccolo Pisilli are expected to continue in central midfield.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Marten de Roon of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AS Roma and Real Madrid C.F. at Stadio Olimpico on October 14, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
Goalkeeper Mile Svilar will also be out of action for another few weeks after fracturing his finger. Understudy Pierluigi Gollini will start tonight, as he did against Genoa in Serie A.
ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Gian Piero Gasperini, Manager of AS Roma, looks on during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AS Roma and Real Madrid C.F. at Stadio Olimpico on October 14, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
Roma (3-4-2-1):Gollini; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Molina, Pisilli, De Roon, Wesley; Soule, Pellegrini; Malen.
Slovan Bratislava (4-2-3-1):Takac; Blackman, Bajric, Markovic, Cruz; Pokorny, Ibrahim; Barseghyan, Martinez, S.Camara; Sporar.
Tonight's game will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 7 and online through HBO Max. Supporters in the USA are able to tune in via Paramount+.
Join us for all the pre-match build-up, in-game commentary and post-match reactions on the Football Italia Liveblog.
