ROMRomaClub page
RMAReal MadridClub page
Squad value€498.4m
Squad value€1.5bn
Key playerDonyell Malen
Key playerKylian Mbappé
Head coachGian Piero Gasperini
Head coachJosé Mourinho
Gasperini's Roma go man for man all over the pitch, and Mourinho has Madrid pressing from the front with every player picking up a man too. Expect duels everywhere and very little time on the ball.
“In fase di non possesso, Gasperini non scende a compromessi: la Roma adotta una marcatura a uomo feroce e asfissiante a tutto campo.”Out of possession, Gasperini makes no compromises: Roma use ferocious, suffocating man-marking all over the pitch. our translation
“El plan estratégico de juego ha sido asumido por sus hombres, aunque lleven una semana a su lado, porque las premisas son muy claras: en ataque quiere fútbol de creación a un toque, velocidad, pase a la primera y remate sin parar, mientras que en el bloque defensivo exige presión desde arriba y marcaje individual de cada futbolista a su rival particular.”The players have taken on the game plan after only a week with him, because the principles are very clear: in attack he wants one-touch football, speed, first-time passing and shooting without stopping, while in defence he demands pressing from the front and every player marking his own opponent. our translation
When Roma's man-marking holds, the whole team camps in the other half. Madrid are content to let you have the ball, and when they win it Vinícius, Mbappé, Brahim and Bellingham break at speed into the space Roma leave behind.
“Le due punte sui due centrali in fase di possesso prevedono come conseguenza l’innalzamento degli esterni fino ai terzini per uno schieramento immediatamente sbilanciato in avanti che porta come naturale conseguenza, se le marcature ovviamente funzionano, a giocare nella metà campo avversaria, cosa che la Roma ha fatto praticamente per tutta la partita.”With the two forwards on the two centre-backs during the build-up, the consequence is that the wide players push up onto the full-backs, giving a shape immediately tipped forward, which naturally leads — if the marking is working, of course — to playing in the opponents' half, which is what Roma did for practically the whole match. our translation
Il Romanista, Daniele Lo Monaco, 26 Aug 2026
“sit in shape, deny the space behind, absorb the waves and turn the moment of a lost Barcelona ball into four seconds of Mbappé and Vinícius running at a defence”Martin Cid Magazine, Kenji Nakamura, 11 Aug 2026
“Madrid caused Inter plenty of problems on the counter, with their front four of Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Brahim Díaz and Jude Bellingham able to exploit gaps routinely, especially in the second half.”Real Madrid's squad is valued at €1.5bn, Roma's at €498.4m: about three times as much. Gaps like that tend to settle games rather than make contests.
Watch the shirts pair off all over the pitch: Gasperini's Roma go man for man everywhere, and Mourinho has Madrid pressing from the front with every player picking up a man too. Madrid are slight favourites and content to let you have the ball, because they are at their most dangerous in the four seconds after you lose it. When Roma's marking holds, the whole team camps in the other half, and that is the space Vinícius, Mbappé, Brahim and Bellingham break into. Mbappé leads them in league goals and assists, and everything is aimed at him through the middle.
“In fase di non possesso, Gasperini non scende a compromessi: la Roma adotta una marcatura a uomo feroce e asfissiante a tutto campo.”Out of possession, Gasperini makes no compromises: Roma use ferocious, suffocating man-marking all over the pitch. our translation
“El plan estratégico de juego ha sido asumido por sus hombres, aunque lleven una semana a su lado, porque las premisas son muy claras: en ataque quiere fútbol de creación a un toque, velocidad, pase a la primera y remate sin parar, mientras que en el bloque defensivo exige presión desde arriba y marcaje individual de cada futbolista a su rival particular.”The players have taken on the game plan after only a week with him, because the principles are very clear: in attack he wants one-touch football, speed, first-time passing and shooting without stopping, while in defence he demands pressing from the front and every player marking his own opponent. our translation
“Dopo un po’ altro giro, altra corsa: Mandragora in campo al posto di Atta, 433 per i viola, 352 per la Roma, con i centrali sulle tre punte, i due esterni di centrocampo sui terzini, i tre centrocampisti a duellare con i dirimpettai e i due attaccanti davanti.”After a while, another turn of the wheel, another lap: Mandragora on for Atta, 4-3-3 for Fiorentina, 3-5-2 for Roma, with the centre-backs on the three forwards, the two wing-backs on the full-backs, the three midfielders duelling with their opposite numbers and the two strikers up front. our translation
Il Romanista, Daniele Lo Monaco, 26 Aug 2026
“sit in shape, deny the space behind, absorb the waves and turn the moment of a lost Barcelona ball into four seconds of Mbappé and Vinícius running at a defence”Martin Cid Magazine, Kenji Nakamura, 11 Aug 2026
“Le due punte sui due centrali in fase di possesso prevedono come conseguenza l’innalzamento degli esterni fino ai terzini per uno schieramento immediatamente sbilanciato in avanti che porta come naturale conseguenza, se le marcature ovviamente funzionano, a giocare nella metà campo avversaria, cosa che la Roma ha fatto praticamente per tutta la partita.”With the two forwards on the two centre-backs during the build-up, the consequence is that the wide players push up onto the full-backs, giving a shape immediately tipped forward, which naturally leads — if the marking is working, of course — to playing in the opponents' half, which is what Roma did for practically the whole match. our translation
Il Romanista, Daniele Lo Monaco, 26 Aug 2026
“Madrid caused Inter plenty of problems on the counter, with their front four of Vinícius Júnior, Kylian Mbappé, Brahim Díaz and Jude Bellingham able to exploit gaps routinely, especially in the second half.”“Mbappé becomes the central reference, the man the structure is built to feed. Vinícius returns to the left touchline, the flank where his first touch faces the goal and the game opens up in front of him rather than around him.”Their pressing and marking switches are well drilled.
“Dall'altro lato, la Roma si conferma una squadra forte e in forma, con dei principi ormai assimilati da tutti i suoi giocatori: il pressing, quando eseguito, è gestito bene; i cambi di marcatura son sempre fatti alla perfezione; inoltre, i movimenti in catena stanno portando tanti frutti in termini di creazione di occasioni.”On the other side, Roma confirm themselves as a strong side in form, with principles every player has absorbed: the pressing, when they do it, is well managed; the switches of marking are always done perfectly; and the combinations down the flanks are creating plenty of chances. our translation
New signing Rodrigo Mora plays as the one creator behind two strikers, and the front three keep swapping places rather than holding position.
“Per Gasperini nasce così un’altra Roma possibile: Mora numero 10, due punte davanti e continui scambi di posizione”So another possible Roma is born for Gasperini: Mora as the number 10, two strikers in front of him and constant swapping of positions our translation
They can spend long spells without the ball and still be the side that looks like scoring, because they break forward quickly when they win it.
“In this match, Real Madrid were defending for the larger part of the match, and although they risked conceding goals, this playing style made them more dangerous upfront as they relied on a periodic high press and on counterattacks when possible, without exposing their defensive line.”Mourinho's Madrid are happy without the ball: they beat Inter with barely a third of it, at home.
“They did so despite having just 35.6% possession, at home.”Compared with last season they defend much further up the pitch and try to win the ball back straight away.
“Es decir, el equipo defiende aproximadamente 20 metros más adelantado, una disposición a la que se añaden unas líneas más juntas (abajo) y la intención de recuperar el balón de forma agresiva y lo antes posible.”That is, the team defends about 20 metres further forward, with the lines closer together and the intention of winning the ball back aggressively and as soon as possible. our translation