Roma will take a full Olimpico and a growing sense of possibility into their meeting with Inter, but Gian Piero Gasperini has resisted any attempt to frame the occasion as an early title decider. With 67,000 expected in Trigoria’s biggest Sunday afternoon of the season so far, the coach sees a demanding test rather than a moment for declarations.
“There will be a full stadium, great enthusiasm and two teams arriving after important results,” Gasperini said before the match. “That is satisfying, but I would stop there.” While Inter coach Cristian Chivu did not speak ahead of the game, Gasperini made clear that Roma’s task is to preserve their focus amid the excitement.
He welcomed the positive mood around the club, saying that enthusiasm and energy can help a side, but insisted Roma must not allow the occasion to carry them beyond the match itself. Inter, in his view, remain the Italian benchmark, strengthened by the standard they have maintained both domestically and in Europe. Roma’s ambition is to move closer to that level, not to pretend they have already reached it.
A test of Roma’s progress
Gasperini acknowledged that Inter have repeatedly proved difficult opposition for him in recent seasons. “It is true, I have always lost against them in the last few years,” he said with a smile. “Their coaches have changed, but the results have not. I do not think I am the only one who has suffered against a very strong team.”
His assessment of Inter was grounded in their record rather than the atmosphere surrounding a high-table meeting. He noted that the Nerazzurri have been at the summit of Italian football for years, with Napoli periodically breaking into that conversation, and said Inter’s numbers speak for themselves.
Roma, meanwhile, are measuring themselves against their own recent past. Gasperini said he is pleased with the work done so far and believes the team has improved on last season. The aim is to establish Roma more firmly among the leading group in Serie A, although he warned that a hard outing in Turin had shown the limits of expecting every victory to resemble the opening two matches.
Asked how his side would approach Inter, the Roma coach kept his plans private. He said matches of this stature need little external preparation and repeated that every decision, including defensive substitutions where required, is made with the intention of winning. He offered no starting-line-up clues, then joked as he left the press conference: “Everyone is available, so I have told you something.”
Roma’s squad picture is notably encouraging. Gasperini said all players should be involved after the final training session, despite some flu symptoms, minor knocks and a small sprain within the group. “That alone is an extraordinary result,” he said. Some players are in better condition than others, but he expects a full group for the Inter game.
He also spoke positively about Lulli, stating that there is no distinction in his mind between Serie A and Champions League involvement: the player can be used in either competition and is progressing well. Lorenzo Pellegrini, who has not played for a long period, could use the extended break ahead to regain rhythm through friendlies. Molina and Wesley, meanwhile, are both able to operate on either flank.
Gasperini declined to turn the discussion towards the referee, saying simply that Davide Massa would be “perfect” and that there would therefore be no issues to discuss. His attention remained on the balance he wants Roma to find against the division’s most consistent force. A team cannot live only on defensive resilience or attacking output, he argued: “Sometimes people say you are high in the table because you concede few goals, or because you score many. You need both.”
That is the standard Roma will try to meet at the Olimpico: not a proclamation of a new order, but a chance to show that their rise has substance when Inter arrive.
