Ivory Coast defender Evan Ndicka has been included in AS Roma’s squad for the 2026-27 Champions League, giving the 26-year-old another opportunity to compete at the highest level of European club football.
Roma submitted their squad to UEFA on Wednesday as the Italian club prepares to return to the Champions League after several seasons competing in the Europa League.
For Ndicka, the competition will be familiar territory.
The Ivory Coast international previously featured in the Champions League with Eintracht Frankfurt during the 2022-23 season, making eight appearances in the tournament, all of them as a starter.
He provided one assist during that campaign and will now have the chance to add another chapter to his European career with Roma.
The Giallorossi are returning to the Champions League for the first time since their last appearance in the competition in the 2018-19 season.
Roma’s return will bring a demanding schedule, with Paris Saint-Germain among the opponents named in their new league-stage campaign.
Ndicka’s inclusion comes despite a minor fitness issue that recently affected his availability.
The defender started the current Serie A campaign by playing Roma’s opening two matches, completing 180 minutes without scoring or registering an assist.
However, he was subsequently left out of the squad for the away match against Lecce after experiencing a muscle problem during the warm-up.
The latest information provided on the defender indicates that Ndicka is not dealing with a muscle injury, but instead has a minor inflammation.
That update will be encouraging for Roma as they prepare for their European campaign and will hope to have the Ivorian available for the demands of the Champions League.
Ndicka was an important member of the Roma side last season, making 31 Serie A appearances under Gian Piero Gasperini.
He also contributed three goals in the Italian top flight.
His European experience was equally significant, with the defender playing 10 times in the Europa League and scoring twice.
Those performances have strengthened his experience at continental level and now provide the foundation for another Champions League campaign.
Roma’s squad contains a mixture of experienced players and younger options across the different areas of the team.
The goalkeeping group includes Devis Vásquez, Alessio Marcaccini, Pierluigi Gollini and Mile Svilar.
The defensive options include Leonardo Balerdi, Devyne Rensch, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Nahuel Molina, Mario Hermoso, Gianluca Mancini, Anass Salah-Eddine, Wesley, Emanuele Lulli and Daniele Ghilardi alongside Ndicka.
In midfield, Roma have selected Marten de Roon, Bryan Cristante, Lorenzo Pellegrini, Manu Koné, Niccolò Pisilli and Rodrigo Mora.
The attacking options include Santiago Castro, Donyell Malen, Matías Soulé, Paulo Dybala and Antonio Arena.
For Ndicka, the upcoming European campaign provides another chance to establish himself among the players competing at the highest level of continental football.
His first Champions League experience came with Frankfurt, where he started all eight of his matches in the competition. Four years later, he returns to the tournament with Roma carrying greater experience from his time in Serie A and the Europa League.
The Ivorian will now look ahead to the start of the Champions League campaign in September as Roma attempt to make a strong return to Europe’s premier club competition.
