ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 14: Donyell Malen and Nicolo Pisilli of AS Roma celebrate with their teammates after scoring their team’s third goal during the UEFA Champions League 2026/27 League Phase MD2 match between AS Roma and Real Madrid CF at Stadio Olimpico on October 14, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Tullio M. Puglia/Getty Images)
Donyell Male is expected to return to lead the Roma attack when the Giallorossi host Slovan Bratislava in the Champions League on Tuesday.
The Giallorossi host the Slovakian side at the Stadio Olimpico on Tuesday evening at 20.00.
Gian Piero Gaspeirni’s team has collected just one point after the first two rounds in the Champions League. They tied 1-1 away with Fenerbahce before falling to a surprisingly disappointing defeat against 15-time Champions Real Madrid last week, lost with a score of 4-3 despite the difference of two goals 10 minutes left.
Roma struggled in Serie A over the weekend 2:0 win over Genoa in the absence of Male, who served a one-match suspension after being sent off against Como the weekend before.
Male’s replacement Santiago Castro was among the targets at the weekend and while Gasperini confirmed the pair are capable of playing back-to-back in attack, the Dutchman is expected to lead the way on his own against Slovan Bratislava tonight.
Lorenzo Pellegrini joined Gasperini for the pre-match press conferences on Monday afternoon and is likely to feature in the starting line-up. Completing the attacking trident will be Matias Soule, according to Sky Sport Italia’s pre-match reports.
Manu Kone and Bryan Cristante are still unavailable, with the latter hoping to return to action this weekend, meaning Marten De Roon and Niccolo Pisilli are expected to continue in central midfield.
Goalkeeper Mile Svilar will also be out for several weeks after breaking his finger. Specialist Pierluigi Gollini will start tonight, as he did against Genoa in Serie A.
Rome vs. Slovan Bratislava: Probable squads
Roma (3-4-2-1): Gollini; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Molina, Pisilli, De Roon, Wesley; Soule, Pellegrini; Malen.
Slovan Bratislava (4-2-3-1): Takac; Blackman, Bajric, Markovic, Cruz; Pokorny, Ibrahim; Barseghyan, Martinez, S. Kamara; Sports.
Where to watch the match Roma – Slavyan Bratislava
Tonight’s game will be available to watch live in the UK on TNT Sports 7 and online via HBO Max. Fans in the US can join via Paramount+.
Join us on the Football Italia Liveblog for all the pre-match build-up, in-game commentary and post-match reaction.