Gasperini still eyeing more reinforcements ahead of Roma's Serie A curtain-raiser

Gian Piero Gasperini has warned Roma need reinforcements if they want to be competitive in 2026-27 ahead of their Serie A opener against Fiorentina.

Roma finished last season in third, winning each of their last five league matches to pip both AC Milan and Juventus to a Champions League spot.

They will play in UEFA's premier competition for the first time since 2018-19.

It was a largely successful first season in charge for Gasperini, who has bolstered his squad with the likes of Rodrigo Mora, Nahuel Molina and Santiago Castro.

They have also tied down Paulo Dybala and Lorenzo Pellegrini to new contracts, while Manu Kone has so far stayed put, but Gasperini still wants more additions to ensure they can find a balance as they juggle the extra matches.

"Purely in terms of numbers, we still need another two to complete the squad, especially in the Champions League," said Gasperini.

"We are still missing another wide striker on the left, and an understudy for Wesley. We'll see what can be done in the last 10 days of the transfer window, but we don't want to sign players just for the sake of it.

"We need someone who can raise the level of the squad.

"We are satisfied with what we've achieved so far. It's necessary to focus on youth, and this can be a positive.

"Rodrigo Mora is very young but has already achieved good things with Porto. He's an important investment for the future and has all the characteristics to do well."

Fiorentina endured a difficult campaign last season, having to wait until MD16 for their first Serie A victory.

However, they ultimately avoided the drop with a strong second half to the season, finishing 15th, eight points clear of 18th-place Cremonese.

It was a stark contrast to Roma's success, but Gasperini has tried to temper expectations ahead of their season opener, noting that they have a blank slate ahead of them.

"You start from zero every year. What we achieved was hugely positive, and I think everyone was happy with it," he said.

"When the season restarts, everyone starts from zero and those 73 points from last season have to be replayed. We need to focus on ourselves.

"I believe that in the team – or in the starting 11 if you like – there's been a good degree of consolidation but nothing particularly new."

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Roma – Santiago Castro

Castro is the youngest player to have scored five or more goals with his right foot (12), left foot (five) and head (five) since his debut in March 2024 across Europe's big-five leagues in all competitions.

He has joined Roma for a decent chunk of money, and Gasperini will be hoping for an instant impact from the forward.

Fiorentina – Moise Kean

Kean has scored four goals against Roma in Serie A; only against Udinese (six) and Verona (five) has he scored more in the competition, while he has also scored four against Torino.

Furthermore, his four goals against Roma and two against Lazio in Serie A have all come in home games.

The Stadio Olimpico is the stadium where he has played the most minutes without scoring in the competition (538 across 10 matches).

MATCH PREDICTION: ROMA WIN

Roma have won each of their last three Serie A matches against Fiorentina, after recording just one victory in the previous six (D2 L3). 

And Roma have lost just three of their last 52 home Serie A matches against Fiorentina (W33 D16). Fiorentina's last league win against them at the Stadio Olimpico was in April 2018 (2-0).

After losing five of their eight opening Serie A matches between the 2014-15 and 2021-22 seasons (W3), Fiorentina have remained unbeaten in each of their last four, drawing the last two in a row.

Meanwhile, Roma have lost only once in their last 14 Serie A season openers (a 3-0 forfeit defeat against Verona in September 2020, W8 D5). This run also includes two victories against Fiorentina (2-0 in 2014015 and 3-1 in 2021-22).

Roma have won their last five Serie A matches, scoring at least two goals per game (13 in total, 2.6 average) and keeping four clean sheets; they have not had a longer winning run in the top-flight since February-March 2025 (seven).

OPTA WIN PROBABILITY

Roma – 57.1%

Draw – 23.6%

Fiorentina – 19.3%