Roma manager Gian Piero Gasperini addressed the media ahead of his team’s trip to Turin, where the Giallorossi will face Juventus in one of the standout clashes of the Serie A weekend. The coach touched on his reasons for joining Roma, updates on his key players, and his relationship with Luciano Spalletti.
On Dovbyk’s fitness
Opening his press conference, Gasperini provided an update on striker Artem Dovbyk, who has been recovering from injury in recent weeks.
“He hasn’t completely recovered yet,” the coach admitted. “Although he’s been training for several days, he’s still having some difficulty when it comes to striking the ball. Aside from him, we have everyone available apart from the two players who have already left, and we’re hoping to solve a few issues with Hermoso before the match.”
Why he chose Roma instead of Juventus
Gasperini was inevitably asked to reflect on his decision last summer to join Roma — despite also being linked with a move to Juventus.
“Because it was the harder path,” he said bluntly. “And I’m happy with how things have turned out. We’re now facing a very important game against a strong team, one that always has the ability to strengthen and whose DNA is all about competing at the highest level and striving to win.
“We come into this match after a good performance against Como and another solid display in Glasgow. We really want to measure ourselves against a team like Juventus, especially now that the league has entered its most exciting phase.”
On Dybala’s condition and motivation
Attention then turned to Paulo Dybala, who is fighting to regain full fitness ahead of returning to Turin to face his former club. Gasperini confirmed that the Argentine’s situation would be evaluated right up until matchday.
“We’ll assess him today,” the coach explained. “We’ll run some tests to see whether he can start, come on during the game, or stay on the bench. Motivation is never an issue for a player of his calibre — it’s purely a physical question. He needs to feel good, to sprint and shoot in the best way possible, and to play at the level everyone expects of him.”
Roma’s progress and standing above Juventus
Roma currently sit four points ahead of Juventus in the Serie A table, a position that reflects the team’s consistency this season. Gasperini expressed satisfaction with his squad’s development, while also noting areas of continuous growth.
“I’d say we’ve done really well,” he said. “After fifteen matches, there’s already a solid base to draw conclusions from. I don’t know if we’re among the strongest teams or the strongest of all, because there are several good sides in the league. But the players have done excellent work over these months, almost in every game — even those we didn’t win. The truly disappointing performances have been very few.
“This group always has strong motivation. I believe we’ve improved technically and in terms of quality, as well as growing as a united team. It’s true that one of our main strengths has been conceding so few goals, but over recent weeks, we’ve also started creating and scoring more regularly.”
On his relationship with Spalletti and facing Juventus
Finally, Gasperini spoke about his counterpart Luciano Spalletti, with whom he maintains a friendly relationship dating back to Spalletti’s previous managerial roles.
“My relationship with Luciano is certainly friendly,” Gasperini revealed. “When he was at Inter, we met several times. Later, when he was with the national team, we often kept in touch because he was calling up players from my squad, and he also visited our training centre in Zingonia on several occasions.
“Now that he’s at Juventus, we speak less, but we’ll greet each other warmly — there’s a good atmosphere between us. I think he’s trying to bring his footballing ideas to a club that already had a strong foundation. Lately, Juventus have shown real signs of improvement — their performance in Bologna and in the Champions League were both impressive.
“Playing against Juventus is always difficult because they have players of real quality and experience. It’s always a meaningful match — an important benchmark for us to gauge where we stand and to understand how competitive we can be.”
