"I'm coming, Max!" That was Gian Piero Gasperini's line before AS Roma go to Napoli for Napoli vs AS Roma on Saturday 24 October at 18:00. The point is not the theatre, it is the team sheet. Donyell Malen, Rodrigo Mora and Soulé are expected to form a reshaped front three because Dybala and Pellegrini are out.

Roma's emergency attack

That front line leaves Gasperini leaning harder on Malen than Roma planned. He has six Serie A goals this season, plus three Champions League goals and two Champions League assists, and he has scored three times across his last two Champions League outings. That is a decent base for a striker asked to carry more of the burden than the original plan allowed.

The wider attack is thinner without Dybala and Pellegrini, so the balance shifts to whether Soulé and Rodrigo Mora can keep the structure clean around Malen. The projection from Calciomercato.it is plain enough, Roma are not going to Napoli with their first-choice attacking shape intact.

Napoli's own mood at the Maradona

Napoli's preparation has not been spotless either. They beat Bodø/Glimt 4-3 in the Champions League, but their domestic and European run before Roma included losses to Villarreal and Venezia, and they sit ninth in Serie A with 10 points after seven matches. They also trained on Friday morning ahead of the game, with Antonio Vergara working with the group.

Roma's league start gives the trip a different edge. They have 17 points after seven Serie A matches, they are third, and their 5-2-0 record means this is not just a survival trip. Gasperini's challenge to Allegri sits on top of that, but the football question is still the same, whether Roma can make a patched-up front three work against a Napoli side that badly needs a domestic response.

FAQ

Will AS Roma still attack Napoli despite missing Dybala and Pellegrini?

Roma are expected to go with Soulé, Rodrigo Mora and Donyell Malen as the front three even without Dybala and Pellegrini. Malen has six Serie A goals this season, plus three Champions League goals and two assists, so he remains the most direct threat in the reshaped attack.

Why is Napoli vs AS Roma a difficult game for Gasperini's side?

Roma go to Napoli without Dybala and Pellegrini, and the match is at the Maradona on Saturday 24 October at 18:00. Napoli have also beaten Bodø/Glimt 4-3 in Europe and will want to answer a patchy league spell, so the setting is uncomfortable for a depleted Roma front line.

Can Donyell Malen carry Roma in the Napoli match?

Malen has 6 Serie A goals, 3 Champions League goals and 2 Champions League assists. That output is why he is central to Roma's emergency front line, especially with Dybala and Pellegrini absent for the trip to Napoli.

Written by Daniel Hartley with AI-assisted research, cross-checked against 4 outlets. How we work →