Gasperini labels Slovan clash a must-win for Roma

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

Gian Piero Gasperini labelled Roma’s Champions League tie with Slovan Bratislava as a must-win game if his team stand any chance of advancing from the league phase. 

Roma welcome Slovan to the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday in search of their first win in Europe this season, having taken just one point from their opening two fixtures. 

After drawing with Fenerbahce on MD1, Roma endured a late collapse against Real Madrid, who came from three goals down to win 4-3 late on. 

Gasperini’s side have led in both of their Champions League games this season, but won neither (D1 L1), and they could be the first team to score first in each of their opening three matches of a campaign but go winless since Montpellier in 2012-13.

However, they are going up against a Slovan side that have conceded the most goals (nine), faced the most shots on target (22) and faced the joint-most shots (51) in the 2026-27 Champions League, currently finding themselves bottom of the 36-team standings. 

For the last two seasons, 16 points have been enough to finish inside the top eight of the league phase, meaning Roma need to win five of their last six games to reach that total. 

And while Roma are the favourites going into their latest European clash, Gasperini warned his players they must not underestimate their opponents. 

“They’re a dynamic team, well-prepared athletically, and they have some excellent players,” Gasperini told reporters. 

“They might not be ‘top-tier’ compared to some of the other teams in the Champions League, but like all games in this competition, it will be tough.

“We will not underestimate our opponents because we need to win. For the last few years, the points target has always been around 10 or 11.

“We have to win our games at home, it’s always difficult in away games. That’s our goal.”

Slovan Bratislava #ASRoma #UCL https://t.co/SX0lDrSYjd

— AS Roma (@OfficialASRoma) October 19, 2026

Roma beat Genoa 2-0 on Saturday, with Santiago Castro and Emanuele Lulli on target.

Donyell Malen missed that win through suspension, but the Dutchman will be back to face Slovan and hoping to continue his goal-scoring exploits in the Champions League.

Malen assisted against Fenerbahce before scoring twice against Madrid. However, no player has ever scored or assisted in each of Roma’s opening three matches of a Champions League campaign.

And after Castro impressed during Malen’s absence, Gasperini believes the pair could play together, but hinted he will choose one or the other to start against Slovan. 

“[Castro] scored a great goal. He and Malen can play together with their characteristics, but I don’t know if I’ll start him or bring him on during the game,” the Roma boss said.

“I don’t want to interrupt a team that is doing well in attack just so that we can see them together. I don’t need to look for other solutions at the moment, but he could be one.”

But one player who remains unavailable to Roma is Paulo Dybala, who continues his recovery from an injury sustained against Madrid last week. 

Dybala has four assists in eight appearances across all competitions so far this season for Roma, but Gasperini confirmed he will remain sidelined for a few more weeks. 

“I hoped Dybala would have recovered quicker. The tests he had yesterday showed a small injury, it will take a few more weeks,” Gasperini conceded. 

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