Como vs Roma Preview: To Battle the Wolves

Three weeks is a long time to sit with a bad result. You replay the moments that might have changed it, read about your players scoring for their countries and eventually start checking the fixture list as though Sunday might have moved closer.

At last, Como are coming home. Roma visit the Sinigaglia on Sunday 11 October, with kick-off at 12:30 CEST—11:30 in the UK and 06:30 in New York. The club’s match announcement confirms the lunchtime start. For those of us watching from across the Atlantic, coffee will be part of the team selection.

It is a demanding way to resume. Gian Piero Gasperini’s side are unbeaten in the league, have already scored 14 goals and arrive with enough attacking talent to punish an untidy few minutes. Como, meanwhile, need to show that the 2–0 defeat at Frosinone was a setback they can learn from.

I am looking forward to this one. A good performance against Roma would give us something much better to carry into the next few weeks.

The form: one defeat should not erase the good work

Como took ten points from their opening five league games: a draw with Udinese, wins over Napoli, Genoa and Parma, then that loss at Frosinone. There is a solid start underneath the frustration of the most recent afternoon.

There is also an obvious improvement to make. Those five games brought nine goals scored and six conceded, with no clean sheet. Against this Roma attack, the small defensive errors could become expensive very quickly. Tattico’s Como profile has the league results and season figures.

Roma have collected 13 points from five matches. They beat Fiorentina and Lecce 4–0, followed those results with victories over Atalanta and Torino, then drew 2–2 with Inter after leading by two at half-time. Across those matches, they conceded only three goals. Their results tell the story of a team already working well.

Still, that Inter game offers encouragement. In his post-match assessment, Gasperini acknowledged that conceding early in the second half had shifted the momentum and discussed fatigue affecting his defensive changes. Roma are dangerous, but opponents can make them uncomfortable.

Como team news: Kean remains the question

Moise Kean’s availability needs a little care because the reports do not entirely agree.

ANSA reported on 7 October that examinations following his early return from Italy duty had revealed no problems and that he was expected to be available. Sky’s update the following day still described muscular fatigue requiring monitoring, while Eurosport’s 9 October preview listed him as unavailable.

At the time of writing on Friday morning, I would treat Kean as a doubt rather than promise either his return or his absence. Anastasios Douvikas is the expected starter up front regardless; a fit Kean would give Fàbregas another important option as the game develops.

The other question is how quickly the returning internationals settle back in. Como had 15 players away, and Nico Paz was among the last due back, with Sky reporting his return on Thursday. That limits preparation time with the full group. It does not automatically mean he cannot start or that everyone returning from international duty is exhausted.

Neither side has a suspension listed in the current major previews. The final squad announcements and pre-match updates will settle the remaining fitness questions.

Roma team news: expect Malen, plan for Dybala

The early-break hope that Roma might arrive without several important players has faded.

Sky’s 8 October team-news report says Donyell Malen and Wesley have recovered, while Bryan Cristante is unlikely to make it because of his knee problem. Marten de Roon is expected to replace Cristante alongside Manu Koné.

The same report puts Rodrigo Mora ahead of Matías Soulé for a place beside Paulo Dybala, with Evan Ndicka tipped to return in defence. Other previews favour Soulé or Lorenzo Pellegrini and differ over Ndicka versus Leonardo Balerdi. Those remain selection calls rather than settled facts.

Whichever attacking combination Gasperini chooses, Como cannot build their plan around Roma being short of quality.

The battle I keep coming back to: Dybala’s passing lanes

Malen’s six league goals make him the obvious threat. But the player supplying the danger deserves at least as much attention: Dybala has four assists and 23 key passes through five Serie A appearances, according to Tattico’s Roma statistics. A key pass is a pass that directly creates a shot. That is a lot of opportunity coming through one player.

My concern is the moment when a Como midfielder steps forward, Dybala finds space behind him and one of our centre-backs has to decide whether to follow. If the defender goes, a runner can attack the gap; if he stays, Dybala may have time to turn.

The answer will need coordination. Como’s midfield must make those passes difficult, and the defence must be ready to cover the next movement. Asking one player to chase Dybala everywhere risks opening another door.

I would also like to see some restraint when our full-backs advance. Yan Couto and Álex Valle can help make Como dangerous, but leaving both flanks exposed at once would give Roma precisely the sort of open game their attackers can enjoy.

None of this means retreating into our own penalty area. It means giving our attacking football enough protection to survive a misplaced pass.

Where Como can hurt them

The encouraging part is that Roma must answer questions of their own.

Assane Diao leads Como with 13 league key passes, while Paz has taken 27 shots. Douvikas leads the team with 2.15 expected goals. These are early-season figures, but they show several ways Como can create a problem: delivery from wide areas, invention around the box and a forward getting into scoring positions.

I would like to see Diao attack the space behind Roma’s left wing-back when the opportunity appears. If that forces a centre-back out towards the touchline, Paz or Martin Baturina could find room inside. Douvikas’s movement would then matter as much as the pass: occupying the remaining defenders gives the supporting players a chance to arrive.

The temptation after Frosinone will be to demand an immediate response with every attack. Patience will be useful too. Como need passing options around the ball, so that one blocked route does not become a rushed cross or a shot through three defenders.

At home, we should expect enough ambition to test Roma. We should also give the players room to work their way into the match.

Predicted line-ups

These are provisional selections, with the returning internationals and final fitness checks still relevant.

Como, 4-2-3-1: Butez; Couto, Jacobo Ramón, Chalobah, Valle; Luis Milla, Da Cunha; Diao, Nico Paz, Baturina; Douvikas.

Roma, 3-4-2-1: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Molina, Koné, De Roon, Wesley; Dybala, Mora; Malen.

These follow Sky’s Thursday projection. Perrone is a strong alternative in Como’s midfield—Eurosport predicts him alongside Da Cunha—while Roma’s main open calls include the attacking position beside Dybala and the choice between Ndicka and Balerdi.

A busy month starts here

There will be little time to dwell on Sunday. Como travel to Feyenoord on Wednesday 14 October, visit Fiorentina the following weekend and then welcome Manchester United on 21 October, as listed on the club’s fixture schedule.

That makes the substitutes important. Depending on the score and fitness, the bench may need to restore control in midfield, provide fresh running out wide or change the threat up front. With another match three days away, managing the final half-hour well could help twice over.

There is no need to turn the Roma game into a verdict on the entire season. There is every reason to treat it as a serious test of how ready Como are for the pace of the month ahead.

Prediction: Como 2–2 Roma

I expect both teams to score. Roma’s attacking start is too strong to dismiss, particularly with Malen expected back, and Como have yet to keep a league clean sheet. But our own attacking options make a home response entirely believable.

The Stats Zone preview also anticipates goals at both ends. My own score prediction is 2–2: an entertaining, occasionally nerve-racking match in which Como show enough quality to take a point.

A win is within reach if we defend the spaces around our attacks properly. A draw earned by going toe to toe with this Roma side would also be a useful start to a demanding run.

Mostly, I want to see Como looking like themselves again: asking for the ball, helping the teammate receiving it and making the Sinigaglia feel like a difficult place to visit. Three weeks of waiting is quite enough. Put the coffee on.