AS Roma Rombak Formasi demi Tiket Liga Champions Lawan Verona

AS Roma terpaksa merombak susunan pemain menjelang laga tandang krusial melawan Hellas Verona di Stadion Marc'Antonio Bentegodi pada Minggu, 24 Mei 2026 malam waktu setempat demi mengamankan tiket kualifikasi Liga Champions.

Tim asuhan Gian Piero Gasperini saat ini berada di peringkat keempat klasemen Serie A dengan keunggulan dua poin atas Juventus dan Como setelah meraih kemenangan 2-0 dalam laga derbi melawan Lazio pekan lalu.

Klub berjuluk Giallorossi tersebut wajib meraih kemenangan atas Verona yang sudah dipastikan terdegradasi demi mengunci posisi empat besar untuk pertama kalinya sejak musim 2017/2018.

Namun, kekuatan lini pertahanan Roma pincang setelah bek Evan Ndicka mengalami cedera robek hamstring kanan tingkat dua saat laga derbi yang membuatnya harus absen selama tiga hingga empat minggu.

Selain Ndicka, Roma juga kehilangan bek sayap Wesley yang terkena skorsing kartu merah, serta Bryan Zaragoza, Lorenzo Pellegrini, dan Evan Ferguson yang masih dibekap cedera.

Kondisi ini memaksa Gasperini menurunkan Daniele Ghilardi di lini pertahanan bersama Gianluca Mancini dan Mario Hermoso, sementara Neil El Aynaoui dan Devyne Rensch dipasang sejak awal laga.

Di lini serang, Gasperini mengambil keputusan mengejutkan dengan memainkan langsung Matias Soulé, Niccolò Pisilli, dan Paulo Dybala secara bersamaan untuk mendukung penyerang tengah Donyell Malen.

Gasperini mengonfirmasi bahwa gelandang Manu Koné sudah pulih dari cedera ringannya dan siap bermain, meskipun belum bugar seutuhnya setelah mengikuti sesi latihan sepanjang pekan.

"Kone has recovered, he trained with us all week, he has a few minor ailments, he’s not quite 100%, but he’s definitely available. I don’t know if he’s start or start during the match, but he’s available. The rest of the team is feeling the heat and the temperatures, so we need to be good at being there at the right time tomorrow night, when it’s time to play, because it’s a very important match." kata Gasperini seperti dilansir chiesaditotti.com.

Pelatih Roma tersebut juga memberikan pandangannya mengenai performa Soulé yang sempat absen selama hampir 50 hari akibat mengalami masalah pubalgia pada musim ini.

"He had a very positive part of the season, scoring goals and providing assists, but then he had a long layoff, almost 50 days, which reduced his impact on the team. Last year he played fifth, but this year his characteristics have made him a more attacking player. The important thing is that he’s healthy: he’s still young, and once he’s fully recovered from his pubalgia, he can become even stronger." ujar Gasperini.

Selain membahas performa pemain mudanya, Gasperini mengapresiasi pencapaian penjaga gawang Mile Svilar yang baru saja dinobatkan sebagai kiper terbaik Serie A pekan ini.

"Ah, well. There was someone who said, ‘Give me a goalkeeper who saves and a midfielder who scores, and I’ll take care of the rest,’ and he was a great coach. Now I have both, and it shows (laughs)," kata Gasperini menutup konferensi persnya.

Dalam wawancara terpisah yang dimuat oleh OneFootball, Gasperini mengungkapkan bahwa kebersamaan tim menjadi kunci utama dalam menghadapi pasang surut kompetisi sepanjang musim ini.

"Konè has recovered, he’s not 100%, but he’s available. The rest of the team? The heat is affecting them, and then there’s the anticipation. Tomorrow is an important match, we need to get there in good shape. Everyone is ready, we’ve always been united, and the Champions League would be the right goal." tutur Gasperini.

Mantan pelatih Atalanta itu merefleksikan dinamika musim pertamanya menukangi klub ibu kota Italia tersebut hingga mampu mengumpulkan 70 poin menjelang pekan terakhir liga.

"It hasn’t been an easy year. I tried to bring my method, which allowed me to build my career. I was fortunate to be credible to the lads, and it allowed us to reach the 70 points we have now. Eleven months have passed, it’s a long time, but now the priority is trying to crown a result that at times seemed distant. It will depend on us; football is often cruel in these cases. We need to focus on the good results, not the bad ones." jelas Gasperini.

Gasperini menambahkan bahwa performa lini serang timnya mengalami peningkatan signifikan pada paruh kedua musim sehingga memicu rasa percaya diri skuad Giallorossi.

"We’ve had some excellent matches; in the second half of the season we improved and scored a lot. If you score, maybe you can turn games around, like in Parma. I was confident in ourselves, that the team could make this final push. Of course, it also depended on the other teams, but that doesn’t take anything away from our work." ucap Gasperini.

Target menembus kompetisi antarklub kasta tertinggi Eropa juga dinilai menjadi dorongan moral yang sangat masif bagi seluruh elemen klub dan para suporter.

"This year, we set the Champions League as a higher goal, but it was a push to go beyond our limits. We all sensed that people wanted the Champions League, it’s a way to make people happy." aku Gasperini.

Gasperini turut menekankan pentingnya kehadiran pihak manajemen klub secara konstan untuk menjaga stabilitas internal dan menciptakan atmosfer kerja yang kondusif.

"The club’s constant presence is certainly fundamental, also to avoid unpleasant situations. It’s something that gives strength to the team, to the atmosphere. It also helps us to provide clear and quick responses. It will be a great gamble. I hope that tomorrow’s result will help us see a united Roma, with shared goals, not separate ones. Their increased presence can help all of this." urai Gasperini.

Terkait kondisi kebugaran Soulé, sang pelatih kembali memberikan penegasan mengenai karakter bermain anak asuhnya yang kini jauh lebih berorientasi menyerang.

"Soulé had a positive start to the season, but then had a long layoff that slowed him down. Last year he played in the fifth position, but his characteristics were attacking. The important thing is that he’s healthy; once he overcomes his groin pain, he’ll become stronger." papar Gasperini.

Bagi Roma, kelolosan ke turnamen tersebut bernilai krusial baik dari segi pendapatan finansial maupun daya tarik untuk mendatangkan pemain baru pada bursa transfer.

"The Champions League is important for revenue and for the appeal it guarantees when it comes to future transfer targets. It would also allow you to distance yourself from your rivals in Serie A and would mean being among the top four in Italy and among the European elite." sebut Gasperini.

Ia juga memuji ketangguhan mental para pemain Roma yang selalu mampu bangkit dan memetik pelajaran berharga setelah menelan hasil buruk.

"The team’s reaction has always come after defeats. It’s a great sign of the strength of this group. A mistake is never a failure. Even from negative situations, we have always been capable of doing something better." tutur Gasperini.

Menutup sesi wawancara, Gasperini kembali menggarisbawahi kontribusi Svilar dan barisan penyerang tim dalam mengamankan poin-poin penting musim ini.

"Someone said, ‘Give me a goalkeeper who saves and a striker who scores.’ The results are there to see." pungkas Gasperini.

Di pihak lawan, Hellas Verona asuhan Paolo Sammarco dipastikan tampil tanpa Roberto Gagliardini yang terkena sanksi akumulasi kartu, serta Daniel Mosquera dan Suat Serdar yang mengalami cedera.