Roma have found momentum at the right time, winning their last two matches to lift the mood after a bruising Champions League defeat to Real Madrid. A 2-0 victory over Genoa in Serie A was followed by a commanding 4-0 dismantling of Slovan Bratislava in Europe, giving Gasperini back-to-back clean sheets and his first win of the Champions League campaign. The squad responded well to adversity, with players like Niccolò Pisilli and young Emanuele Lulli stepping up in the absence of first-choice names.

The injury situation, though, remains a serious concern. Paulo Dybala is out until at least the November international break after aggravating a muscle problem against Real Madrid, and the recovery timeline has already been revised to be longer than first expected. Lorenzo Pellegrini then picked up a significant injury against Slovan Bratislava, with confirmed muscle damage set to keep him sidelined for several weeks. Those two absences leave a real gap in creativity behind Donyell Malen, and Gasperini is now weighing options that include promoting Santiago Castro to a two-striker system.

Roma sit third in Serie A with 17 points from seven games, and the next test is a trip to Napoli on Saturday. With key attacking players unavailable, how Gasperini manages his thin resources in that fixture will say a great deal about where this team is heading.