(©AFP)

Roma's last chance for Champions League qualifications

Latest News

Riquelme, Haaland and Rodri (©Getty Images)

Football

Manchester gave a stunning 19 players for this World Cup

Reading Time: 4min | Fri. 10.04.26. | 17:43

After a series of bad results, Roma needs two win the next two games

In the next eight days, AS Roma will decide its fate, as matches against Pisa SC (tonight) and Atalanta BC (next Saturday), both at the Olimpico, could— with a bit of luck—make the final month of the season exciting. An unexpected draw between Como and Udinese Calcio, along with a favorable schedule this weekend, opens the door of hope for the team led by Gian Piero Gasperini. In Rome, they are hoping that by Sunday night, after Matchday 32 concludes, they will be just one point away from the UEFA Champions League qualification zone (fourth place). Gianluca Mancini, Manu Kone, and Wesley Franca are all missing tonight—but all three are expected to be ready for the crucial clash with Atalanta next weekend. Roma are going through a difficult period, and two consecutive wins at the Stadio Olimpico would provide a much-needed boost. There are reasons for optimism, as Roma have only dropped points against big clubs this season. SSC Napoli and Inter Milan took all the points, while AC Milan and Juventus FC drew. In all other matches—except against Torino FC—Roma collected three points. In fact, in their last seven Serie A home games, they have five wins and two draws.

📋 Our squad for #RomaPisa

See the full list 👉 https://t.co/yzs9EzrgLk #ASRoma pic.twitter.com/DcuYTuIwvC
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) April 9, 2026

Pisa, on the other hand, are already written off. They haven’t scored a single goal in their last four away matches, and in their last five they have conceded 16 goals, recording four defeats and one draw. Roma also need points to halt a negative media spiral that has divided the club’s environment into two camps. One blames Gasperini for another problematic season, while the other points the finger at the club’s management. Gasperini is criticized for not rotating his squad properly, relying too heavily on a core group of players. As a result, key figures—from Mancini in defense to Bryan Cristante, Kone, and Wesley in midfield—have entered the final stretch exhausted. Add around twenty muscle injuries, and it becomes clear why Roma are in this position. However, there is another side to the story. Part of the public blames the club’s owners and management for failing to sign the players Gasperini requested. Interestingly, the players he insisted on—especially Wesley and Donyell Malen—have turned out to be among the team’s best additions.

Dybala’s escape from Europe - after Boca, Flamengo has joined the race for Argentine

Gasperini didn’t miss the chance to take a jab at the club’s leadership, particularly sporting director Ricky Massara, during the pre-match press conference:

“In the last two years, around thirty players have come to Roma, and today only four or five of them are playing” he pointed out. The former Atalanta coach expects—perhaps even demands—that the club bring in quality reinforcements to enable a push for the Champions League and a title challenge. The long-term plan agreed with the Friedkin ownership was to return Roma to the Champions League within three years and lay the groundwork for a fourth Scudetto in the club’s history. Blame-shifting is a favorite pastime in Roma’s part of the Eternal City, unlike at SS Lazio, where the blame usually falls solely on president Claudio Lotito. One way or another, Roma have found themselves in the same situation every April for the past eight years—on the brink of the Champions League places, surrounded by “what if” debates. This season is no different. Gasperini’s results are in line with those of Paulo Fonseca, Jose Mourinho, and Daniele De Rossi, placing him within the usual range of 51 to 56 points.

BETTING GUIDE: AC Milan vs Udinese, match preview, team news and prediction

The matches against Pisa and Atalanta represent a kind of launchpad—a chance to finally make a qualitative leap compared to previous seasons and achieve the long-awaited goal: a return to the Champions League. Tonight, much is expected from Gasperini’s men, especially Matías Soule and Malen. The Argentine and the Dutchman are Roma’s top scorers with seven goals each—highlighting just how poor the team’s attacking output has been. In 31 Serie A matches, Roma have scored only 42 goals, just over one per game. Gasperini is encouraged by the fact that Soule has been training normally and that his pubalgia issues appear to be behind him. Roma will also be without Paulo Dybala, while it is almost certain that Evan Ferguson and Artem Dovbyk will not feature again this season. As for the starting lineup, Gasperini has only two dilemmas: whether to rest Cristante—potentially giving a chance to El Aynaoui—and on the left flank, where Kostas Tsimikas and Rayan Ait-Nouri are competing to fill in for Wesley.