Gasperini warning Cremonese vs. Roma will be ‘hard fought’ | OneFootball

Gian Piero Gasperini expects a ‘hard-fought’ match for Roma away to Jamie Vardy’s Cremonese this afternoon, warning they must ‘get our heads into Serie A mode and do it quickly.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Giovanni Zini at 14.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from today’s Serie A games on the Liveblog.

ROME, ITALY – NOVEMBER 09: Zeki Celik of AS Roma celebrates scoring his team’s second goal with teammates during the Serie A match between AS Roma and Udinese Calcio at Stadio Olimpico on November 09, 2025 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

The Giallorossi went into this weekend as joint leaders with Inter, but as Napoli won yesterday against Atalanta, it puts the pressure back on for top spot.

Gasperini sees tough test for Roma

GLASGOW, SCOTLAND – NOVEMBER 06: Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of AS Roma, aggressively reacts during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD4 match between Rangers FC and AS Roma at Ibrox Stadium on November 06, 2025 in Glasgow, Scotland. (Photo by Ian MacNicol/Getty Images)

“Like all games in Serie A, this is going to be difficult. Cremonese have enthusiasm, quality that they have shown in the early weeks of the season, so it’s going to be hard-fought,” Gasperini told DAZN Italia.

Roma have lost both their Serie A matches straight after the break for international duty, so are they concerned going into this weekend?

“They were two very different games. We certainly had difficulties against Torino, while I feel we played very well against Inter. It is a problem for all clubs who have a lot of players away on international duty, we’ve got to get our heads into Serie A mode and do it quickly.”

PISA, ITALY – AUGUST 30: Tommaso Baldanzi of AS Roma looks on during the Serie A match between Pisa SC and AS Roma at Arena Garibaldi on August 30, 2025 in Pisa, Italy. (Photo by Gabriele Maltinti/Getty Images)

Injuries continue to pile up for Paulo Dybala, Artem Dovbyk, Leon Bailey, Angelino and Mario Hermoso, with Evan Ferguson not at 100 per cent either.

It means Matias Soulé is used as a False 9, with rare starts for Tommaso Baldanzi and Jan Ziolkowski, but still no place for Kostas Tsimikas, preferring to move Wesley to the other side instead.

“It’s a bit of everything leading me to this decision. Baldanzi has done very well in that role in training, Ferguson just returned from injury, so we’ll see what decisions are best over the course of the 90 minutes,” concluded Gasperini.