NAPLES - AS Roma face their trip to Napoli with a major absence in their creative hub. Captain Lorenzo Pellegrini will be sidelined for around twenty days due to a muscle problem sustained in the 4-0 Champions League win over Slovan Bratislava, a match where Mario Hermoso, Nahuel Molina, Niccolò Pisilli and Donyell Malen were on the scoresheet.

The midfielder, substituted at the start of the second half after about 50 minutes of play, underwent tests that confirmed the recovery timeline. Manager Gian Piero Gasperini provided an update on his player's condition. "I don't think it's serious, but it always takes 20 days when it's a muscular problem," declared the Giallorossi coach.

Midfield emergency

The situation is complicated for the capital club, which is already without Paulo Dybala. With Pellegrini out, the creative options in midfield are reduced to Matías Soulé and Rodrigo Mora. This is a significant shortage at a delicate point in the calendar, with Roma sitting third in the table on 17 points, just two behind leaders Inter.

Gasperini's side, coming off consecutive wins against Genoa and Slovan Bratislava, will face Napoli at the Diego Armando Maradona Stadium. The Partenopei are currently ninth in Serie A. Saturday's match on October 24th represents an important test for the depth of the Giallorossi squad, which must prove it can maintain its league pace despite injuries. The team, in this positive run of form with two wins and two draws in its last five matches, has scored 8 goals in its last 3 matches, but must now handle the next fixture without its captain, who has provided 2 assists in 7 league appearances so far. In the league, Roma's record stands at five wins and two draws, with 16 goals scored and only 3 conceded.

The next league fixture is part of a busy schedule that also includes games against Cagliari, Udinese, Sassuolo, and the Champions League clash with Manchester United before the international break. The hope is that Pellegrini can return around that pause. In the meantime, the attacking burden will fall on men like Donyell Malen, the season's top scorer with 6 goals in 6 appearances, and a defensive solidity that has conceded only 3 goals in 7 games so far.

Sporting director D'Amico and the club are monitoring the market for January 2027, with Endrick among the possible targets, but immediate focus is entirely on managing the in-house emergency.

This story first appeared at askanews.it