Gasperini ‘curious’ to see how Roma fare on Champions League return

Syndicated reporting provided by Stats Perform and reviewed by the SoccerNews editorial team.

Gian Piero Gasperini said he was “curious” to see how Roma will get on against the European elite ahead of their return to the Champions League on Thursday. 

Roma make the trip to Chobani Stadyumu Fenerbahce Sukru Saracoglu Spor Kompleksi to take on Fenerbahce, in what is their first match in the competition since 2018-19.

Eusebio Di Francesco was the last man to take charge of Roma in the Champions League, with the Giallorossi losing 4-3 on aggregate to Porto in the last 16. 

Roma have only won their opening game in one of their last six participations in the Champions League (D2 L3), winning 5-1 against CSKA Moscow back in 2014-15.

And they arrive at the clash with confidence. Roma have won all three of their Serie A fixtures, including a dramatic late turnaround against Atalanta last time out. 

Mario Hermoso’s late equaliser was followed up by Matias Soule’s 93rd-minute winner to see Roma win their first three Serie A matches of a season for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign, when Jose Mourinho was in charge. 

Roma will also face Real Madrid, Slovan Bratislava, Manchester United, Paris Saint-Germain, Sporting CP, AEK Athens and Lille in the league phase, and Gasperini acknowledged the step up in quality from competing in Serie A compared to the Champions League.

“When you overturn a game where you are losing at the 88th minute and winning at the 93rd, it gives you a boost of energy,” Gasperini told reporters.

“However, this is a new competition for Roma, and we, too, are a little curious to measure ourselves up against the best teams in the world.

“We start in a fiery atmosphere and want to see from there what our character and level is.

“These are all top teams in their individual leagues and with extraordinary players. During a balanced match, they can change the result with a moment of inspiration.

“We must know that, be wary, but also have faith in our own abilities, and that we should know we can cause the same problems for our opponents.”

— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) September 7, 2026

Fenerbahce and Roma will face each other for the first time. The Turkish side have lost five of their six games against Italian sides in the Champions League to date (W1), although their one win did come in the most recent one at home (1-0 v Inter in September 2007).

The Super Lig giants are also making a long-awaited return to the Champions League, with this their first match in the competition since December 2008 (0-1 v Dynamo Kyiv).

“Undoubtedly, it is the most important club competition, more prestigious even than the Club World Cup, that all the coaches and players want to participate in,” Gasperini added. 

Roma’s lightning start to their Serie A campaign has been spearheaded by Paulo Dybala and Donyell Malen, with the latter scoring five times in three league games so far. 

Dybala has also started the season with four assists, while he has also been directly involved in 12 goals in his last 16 starts in the Champions League (11 goals, one assist).

“Dybala is already proving his consistency, because everyone always recognised his quality,” Gasperini said of Dybala.

“But this season has started stronger than the last because he is extraordinarily consistent both in training and during matches, so these are the results.”

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