Roma's goalkeeper crisis meets Sassuolo's formation gamble
Gian Piero Gasperini could hand Devis Vasquez a rare start as unbeaten Roma host a struggling Sassuolo side set to mirror their 3-4-2-1 shape.
Devis Vasquez may finally get his chance in goal when Roma host Sassuolo on Saturday, with both Mile Svilar and Pierluigi Gollini doubtful, according to Football Italia.
It would be a significant moment for a goalkeeper who has barely featured, and it comes at an awkward time: Roma are still unbeaten in Serie A after ten matches, level with only one other side in the division, but they arrive off the back of a 3-2 Champions League defeat to Manchester United.
That record of seven wins and three draws has Gian Piero Gasperini's side third on 24 points, built on recent league wins over Udinese (5-2) and Cagliari (4-2). The goalkeeping uncertainty is the one obvious crack in an otherwise settled campaign.
A back-three mirror match
Roma are expected to set up in their now-familiar 3-4-2-1, with Daniele Ghilardi and Niccolo Pisilli — both recent Italy call-ups — handed starts alongside Rodrigo Mora, who was named in Portugal's squad on Friday and is still projected to start up front with Matias Soule and Donyell Malen in support.
Sky Sport Italia expects Sassuolo to abandon their habitual 4-3-3 and match that shape with their own 3-4-2-1, according to Football Italia. That switch matters tactically: it would turn the wide areas into a direct contest between wing-back pairings, with Molina and Wesley for Roma expected to face Cinquegrano and Doig for Sassuolo, rather than full-backs working against a front three.
Without their captain Domenico Berardi and with Cristian Volpato also missing, Sassuolo's attacking plan would lean on Sebastiano Esposito dropping into a deeper, creative role behind Kireon Bowie, who would lead the line as the focal point, with Armand Lauriente providing width in support.
Why the shape change is a gamble, not a certainty
Adopting an unfamiliar 3-4-2-1 against a team that has used it consistently is a risk for Sassuolo. It asks players who are used to a back four and a front three to adjust their spacing and pressing triggers in a single match, against opponents for whom the system is second nature.
The upside is that it denies Roma an obvious numerical advantage in wide areas and in the double pivot, where Bryan Cristante and Pisilli would otherwise have a clear two-against-two or better against a flat Sassuolo midfield three. Matching the structure with Thorstdvedt and Matic as the central two theoretically neutralises that zone.
The downside, given Sassuolo's recent form, is that an unpractised system under pressure can be worse than a well-drilled, if tactically inferior, one. They have lost four straight league games and are without a win in six, their last victory coming against Juventus back in September.
That slump has left Sassuolo on eight points from ten matches, 17th in the table and only just clear of the relegation places. A heavy 6-2 defeat to league leaders Lazio and a 4-2 loss to Fiorentina preceded this trip to the Stadio Olimpico, and neither performance suggests a side ready to absorb and transition against a Roma team that has scored five and four in its last two home league outings.
What Roma's injury list means for the balance of the team
Paulo Dybala and Manu Kone remain unavailable, which continues to limit Gasperini's attacking and midfield options even as results hold up. Their absence puts more weight on Mora, Soule and Malen to generate chances in the final third without the control Kone can offer from deeper positions.
The goalkeeping situation, though, is the more unusual story. A third-choice stopper starting a home Serie A fixture for a team sitting third in the table, unbeaten through ten rounds, is a rare alignment of circumstances, and it will test how much Roma's defensive structure — built around Ghilardi, Ndicka and Hermoso in the back three — can shield a goalkeeper with little recent match practice.
Kick-off at the Olimpico is set for 19.45 GMT, with the match broadcast in the UK via BBC Alba, BBC iPlayer and DAZN, and in the United States on Paramount+, per Football Italia.