Probable formation: Atalanta v Roma

“[Lorenzo] Pellegrini and [Leon] Bailey caught the flu, although they were still injured. [Niccolo] Pisilli should hopefully recover. [Mario] Hermoso has recovered and we have to turn to Wesley, who has some concerns. There’s a lot going on and we’ll have to make some decisions, but I’m sure we’ll try to get everyone back in shape for a game like this. We will be very motivated.

These were the latest injury updates for Gian Piero Gasperini during his pre-match press conference on Saturday. Fortunately for Roma, the flu did not affect any of the players fit to play, and Hermoso’s recovery comes at a crucial time, given Evan Ndicka’s absence for the AFCON. Gasperini was also asked about his central defenders and the increasingly important role of Jan Ziolkowski in place of Ndicka.

“With Celik playing out wide, we have five defenders, with Ndicka at CAN and [Gianluca] Mancini and Hermoso are one card away from a suspension, in a team that wants to stay in the Coppa Italia and the Europa League, and certainly in Serie A. I have never liked big squads. I also look at the academy, but at the moment I think all the academies are a little less prolific than in the past. In all cases, a squad of at least 20 players plus goalkeepers is required. Sometimes you have to go with players who play less, like Ziolkowski, and give them time to become as reliable as Mancini or Ndicka. That’s the goal. These are the numbers. You don’t need a huge team but a complete team.

These are certainly encouraging words from the manager, as Roma will rely on Ziolkowski, Mancini and Hermoso for as long as Ndicka is out. Despite the reported problems for Wesley, we still expect the Brazilian to start wide on the left, with Çelik on the right. Given the absence of El Aynaoui at the CAN and Pisilli’s ongoing convalescence, the usual Cristante-Koné pair should patrol the center of the field.

Meanwhile, Evan Ferguson is expected to lead the line again with support from Paulo Dybala and Matías Soulé. Gasperini also spoke about Dybala during his press conference.

“I like Dybala when he scores and when he helps others to score. He has to move forward, get into the box, time his runs and when we are in difficulty he has to help the team. With his technique and footballing intelligence he can help us when the opponent is in our box. But the real Dybala is the one who scores goals, sets up teammates, takes free kicks and free kicks. Those are the things.”

ROME (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ziolkowski, Hermoso; Çelik, Cristante, Koné, Wesley; Soulé, Dybala; Ferguson.