Roma are in fine form. Back-to-back wins over Cagliari and Udinese have lifted Gian Piero Gasperini's side to third in Serie A, one point behind second-placed Inter, with the club showing the kind of consistency that makes a title challenge feel credible. The 5-2 demolition of Udinese at the Bluenergy Stadium was the more convincing of the two results, with Cristante, Mora, Malen, Ndicka and Ghilardi all on the scoresheet, as reported by the match report on GOAL.

Rodrigo Mora has emerged as the standout story of this run. The Portuguese forward scored the winner against Cagliari from the bench, then started and scored again at Udine. As GOAL noted after the Cagliari win, Mora is making a strong case to be considered the first-choice deputy to Paulo Dybala, whose return from a muscular injury suffered against Real Madrid continues to be delayed. Gasperini confirmed after the Udinese match that recovering Dybala, Manu Koné or Mile Svilar before the international break looks unlikely, leaving the squad stretched but still performing.

With the injury situation unlikely to change quickly, Roma head to Old Trafford on 3 November to face Manchester United in the Champions League. The squad's depth is being tested, but the results suggest Gasperini has the answers for now.