Roma’s trip to Udine arrives at a tricky moment: the Giallorossi have momentum after beating Cagliari 4-2, but they also go into Udinese vs Roma carrying four notable absences. Paulo Dybala, Manu Koné, Mile Svilar and Lorenzo Pellegrini are all set to miss the match, leaving Gian Piero Gasperini with fewer trusted options at a time when every league point matters.
That is what makes this fixture feel more complicated than a routine away trip. Roma are trying to keep pressure on Inter and Lazio, but they are doing it while managing freshness for a Champions League trip to Manchester next week. In other words, this is not just about the eleven on the pitch in Udine; it is about how much Gasperini can ask from a squad that already has a lot on its schedule.
Roma’s depth is about to be tested
The absence of Dybala is obvious enough. He remains one of the players who can change the shape of a game with a single moment, and when he is unavailable, Roma lose a major source of unpredictability between the lines. Koné’s absence is different but just as important, because it removes another layer of control in midfield. Without him, Roma will need other players to handle the physical and tactical demands of an away match that could easily become scrappy.
Mile Svilar and Lorenzo Pellegrini add two more layers to the problem. One affects the defensive base, the other the team’s attacking rhythm and leadership. Taken together, the four absences force Roma into a more pragmatic version of themselves, even after a match in which they showed plenty of attacking life against Cagliari.
There is still reason to think Roma can handle the challenge. Udinese have struggled mightily to start the season and have not won a Serie A match since August. Their midweek 0-0 draw with Parma suggested they can still make games awkward, but it did not change the bigger picture: this has been a difficult opening stretch for them.
That makes the match a useful test for Roma rather than a simple formality. If they can win in Udine while missing four established players, that would say something about the squad beneath the headlines. It would also give Gasperini a useful result before the much bigger trip to Manchester. If they cannot, the cost will not just be dropped points; it will be another reminder that a crowded calendar and a depleted squad can expose even a team with ambition.
So the real question in Udine is not only whether Roma can get the result they need. It is whether they can do it without stretching their squad too thin before the next stage of the season arrives.
