Gian Piero Gasperini has selected a strong Roma side for Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion, with Paulo Dybala, Matias Soule and Donyell Malen all starting at the Amex Stadium.
Football Italia is among the accredited media attending the match, which is scheduled to kick off at 15:00 BST.
Malen leads the Roma attack in the visitors’ 3-4-2-1 formation, with Dybala and Soule operating behind him in the trequartista positions.
Neil El Aynaoui partners Bryan Cristante in midfield, while Wesley and Devyne Rensch are named as the wing-backs. Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka and Mario Hermoso form the back three in front of goalkeeper Svilar.
Roma’s substitutes include summer arrivals Santiago Castro and Konstantinos Koulierakis.
The match is the first between the two clubs since their Europa League meeting in 2024. Roma won that two-legged tie 4-1 on aggregate after securing a 4-0 victory in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico.
Saturday’s fixture is Roma’s penultimate test before the new season and their final match of a short tour of the United Kingdom. Gasperini’s side began the tour with a 4-1 defeat by Cardiff City in South Wales last weekend, before responding with a 4-1 win against Newport County on Tuesday.
Brighton & Hove Albion will start with Verbruggen in goal and a back four of Wieffer, Simmonds, Boscagli and Kadioglu.
Ayari, Hinshelwood and Gross make up the midfield, while Minteh, Kostoulas and Gomez are selected in attack. Fabian Hurzeler is Brighton’s head coach.
Brighton’s substitutes are McGill, Dunk, Osman, Cashin, Kostoulas, Costinha, Cozier-Duberry, De Cuyper, Yalcouye, Yohanna and Middleton.
Roma’s bench is made up of Gollini, Di Marzi, Ghilardi, Ziolkowski, Koulierakis, Nardin, Reale, Mannini, Lulli Panico, Cherubini, Vaz and Castro.
The confirmed line-ups are:
Brighton & Hove Albion (4-3-3): Verbruggen; Wieffer, Simmonds, Boscagli, Kadioglu; Ayari, Hinshelwood, Gross; Minteh, Kostoulas, Gomez.
Coach: Fabian Hurzeler.
Substitutes: McGill, Dunk, Osman, Cashin, Kostoulas, Costinha, Cozier-Duberry, De Cuyper, Yalcouye, Yohanna, Middleton.
Roma (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Rensch, El Aynaoui, Cristante, Wesley; Dybala, Soule; Malen.
Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini.
Substitutes: Gollini, Di Marzi, Ghilardi, Ziolkowski, Koulierakis, Nardin, Reale, Mannini, Lulli Panico, Cherubini, Vaz, Castro.
Peter Young is a Senior Reporter with Football Italia.
