Rome has found its edge again, and on Wednesday night it will test that sharper version of itself against Real Madrid at 21:00. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side welcome José Mourinho back to the Italian capital with confidence growing after a resilient draw at Como and a strong opening to the Serie A campaign.
Key takeaways
- Roma are third in Serie A after six rounds and are viewed as Inter’s leading challenger.
- Donyell Malen was sent off in the 0-0 draw at Como, leaving Roma with 10 men for roughly the final third of the match.
- Roma drew 1-1 away to Fenerbahçe last month in their first major European test after seven seasons away from the Champions League.
- Mourinho led Roma from July 2021 until January 2024, winning the inaugural Europa Conference League in 2022.
- Gasperini said facing Real Madrid will show how close his team are to Europe’s elite.
Roma’s resistance has changed the mood
Gasperini celebrated the point at Como with unusual intensity on Sunday, despite a scoreless match that would normally offer little satisfaction to a coach known for demanding more. For him, the result mattered less than the way Roma survived a difficult evening after Malen, their most decisive attacker, received a straight red card.
Como, coached by Cesc Fabregas, put Roma under sustained pressure, but the visitors held their shape and defended with what Gasperini described as “extreme clarity”. The performance added another element to a team already considered tactically organised, technically capable and physically equipped to compete at the top end of Italian football: resilience.
That strength of character has fed belief around the club. Roma have legitimate domestic ambitions, sitting third after six matches and emerging as the main threat to Inter in Serie A. Their European ceiling, however, remains harder to measure after a seven-year absence from the Champions League.
The 1-1 draw at Fenerbahçe last month provided an early indication that Roma can travel and compete. Real Madrid now represent a considerably bigger examination, arriving with Mourinho in their dugout.
Mourinho’s return brings affection and a pointed comparison
Mourinho remains deeply popular among Roma supporters after a turbulent but trophy-producing spell. He ended the club’s 14-year wait for silverware by winning the first Europa Conference League in 2022, although his league record was less convincing. Roma finished sixth in each of his first two Serie A seasons, before he was dismissed midway through his third campaign with the team ninth.
Gasperini succeeded Claudio Ranieri, who is set to turn 75 next Tuesday and has moved into a personal advisory role for club president Dan Friedkin. The current Roma coach acknowledged the emotional attachment between Mourinho and the fanbase, saying the Portuguese coach deserved recognition for it.
But Gasperini also delivered a barbed assessment of the circumstances that supported Mourinho’s earlier reign. He noted that Roma had new and heavily involved ownership at the time, willing to invest substantially, and suggested that Mourinho’s greatest quality was building such a close connection with club leaders that they would bring in exceptional players at major cost.
The meeting with Madrid comes after Roma’s recent 2-2 draw against Inter on 19 September and the demanding trip to Como. Gasperini believes the sequence gives his team the right preparation for a night that can define their standing beyond Italy.
“We have faced Inter and Como, two of Italy’s best sides, and now we meet one of Europe’s strongest teams,” he said. “We want to measure ourselves against them and understand how competitive we can be.”
