Either Roma or Atalanta will see their perfect start to the 2026-27 Serie A season come to an end on Saturday evening, when the two sides meet at the Stadio Olimpico in an early top-of-the-table clash. Kick-off is due at 19.45 BST, with the winner moving clear at the summit after two rounds of fixtures.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s side currently sit top of the standings, having opened the campaign with back-to-back 4-0 victories over Fiorentina and Lecce. Maurizio Sarri has also made a perfect start to his reign as Atalanta head coach, winning his first two league matches in charge at home against Sassuolo and Bologna.
Roma have matched that record, and much of their early form is down to Donyell Malen. The centre-forward has scored five goals in two matches this season, taking his overall record since joining from Aston Villa in January to 19 goals from 20 league appearances. He will be the focal point of the Roma attack once again, with Paulo Dybala pushing to join him in the starting XI.
There had been concerns in the Giallorossi camp earlier this week that Dybala was at risk of missing out on Saturday evening. However, according to the latest updates, he is back in contention and pushing to be included from the start. If Sarri opts to keep Dybala on the bench, Matias Soule is the likely option to join Malen and Rodrigo Mora in attack.
Evan Ndicka was not involved against Lecce last weekend but is also pushing to return to the starting XI. The defender could replace Daniele Ghilardi in the back three, which would otherwise remain unchanged from last weekend's win.
Summer signings Santiago Castro, Nahuel Molina, Marten De Roon and Kostantinos Kouulierakis are likely to start on the bench for the visitors, a sign of the squad depth Sarri now has at his disposal.
Sarri could hand Franck Kessie his second Atalanta debut on Saturday evening, but the Ivorian is most likely to be introduced from the substitutes' bench in the second half. Jonathan Rowe could also make his first appearance for the club following his €40m move from Bologna.
According to Sky Sport Italia, Sarri could stick with the same side that beat Bologna last weekend. There is a possibility that he goes with Lazar Samardzic over Mario Pasalic in midfield, or Elfji Elmas over Giacomo Raspadori in attack, but the expected line-up largely picks itself.
Roma are expected to line up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Svilar in goal behind a back three of Mancini, Ndicka and Hermoso. Lulli and Wesley are the wing-backs, with Kone and Cristante in central midfield. Dybala and Mora operate behind Malen in attack.
Atalanta, meanwhile, are set to play a 4-3-3, with Carnesecchi in goal. Zappacosta, Kossounou, Scalvini and Bernasconi make up the defence, with Pasalic, Gaetano and Ederson in midfield. De Ketelaere, Scamacca and Raspadori lead the line.
The fixture is a meeting of two clubs with new managers at the helm, both of whom have made immediate impressions. Gasperini, of course, spent years building Atalanta into a regular Champions League side before his departure, and he now faces his former club with Roma sitting level on points at the top of the table.
Saturday’s game will be available to watch live and exclusively on DAZN in the UK, with supporters in the USA able to tune in via Paramount+.
According to Yahoo Sports.