Roma head into one of their biggest nights in years carrying both confidence and concern from a hard-fought 0-0 draw at Como on Sunday. The result, covered in detail by GOAL, was far more significant than the scoreline suggests. Donyell Malen was sent off early in the second half, leaving Gasperini's side to defend with ten men for the final 30 minutes. That they held firm owed much to Pierluigi Gollini, standing in for the injured Mile Svilar, who produced a string of key saves to earn a point that felt like a victory.

The Malen situation has since been resolved. The Giudice Sportivo confirmed a one-match ban, meaning the Dutch forward is free to play in European competition and will return to Serie A duty after just one game out. That is a significant boost, given Gasperini had few attacking alternatives available.

Now comes the main event. Roma host Real Madrid at the Olimpico on Wednesday in the Champions League, a fixture loaded with emotion as Jose Mourinho returns to the ground where he won the Conference League in 2022. Gasperini's probable lineup features Malen up front, with Dybala and Soulé behind him and Gollini again in goal with Svilar still unavailable. Roma sit third in Serie A with 14 points and need a strong European run to match their domestic ambitions.