Roma Squad List for Real Madrid Released

Photo by Alessandro Sabattini

While tomorrow’s matchday five fixture against Real Madrid isn’t necessarily a “must-win” for Roma—there will still be other paths towards advancing to the knockout stages of the Champions League—it doesn’t mean the buildup to the match is lacking any controversy or uncertainty. Granted, some of that kerfuffle (okay, a lot) stems from Roma’s less than stellar Serie A record, but with players, coaches and even Monchi chiming in on the club’s present and future, the dischord and the stakes aren’t exactly walking hand in hand.
From Aleksandar Kolarov stoking Roma’s masculinity to Eusebio Di Francesco venting his anger to Monchi reassuring everyone that Roma are improving, you would think the Giallorossi are down to their last straw. But with a five point gap over third place CSKA Moscow, and even a chance to win the group (depending on match day six), things aren’t quite as hectic as the headlines would have you believe. In fact, tomorrow’s match is a veritable biscotto.

Now, just who takes the field to seize that cookie is anyone’s guess.

As you can see, Roma received a bit of a boost with the inclusion of Kostas Manolas, while Daniele De Rossi and Javier Pastore remain on the outside looking in—but the big news is that Roma will be operating at only 50% Pellegrini capacity, with Lorenzo suffering some sort of flexor injury. Meanwhile, Edin Dzeko remains a game-time decision for tomorrow, which, given his superb track record in the Champions League, is a decision that will loom large.

We’ll have a look at the projected lineups tomorrow, but who would you put in Lorenzo Pellegrini’s place?