Roma's pre-season showpiece: Dybala, Soule and Malen line up in Brighton
Roma head coach Gian Piero Gasperini has named a full-strength starting lineup for Saturday’s pre-season friendly against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Amex Stadium. The Giallorossi will be without injured players, but the starting XI includes Paulo Dybala, Matias Soule and Donyell Malen.
Gasperini’s side has completed two matches on their UK tour. Roma suffered a 4-1 defeat to Cardiff City last weekend, but rebounded with a 4-1 win over Newport County on Tuesday. The Dutch club is now preparing for its penultimate pre-season test.
Malen leads Roma’s attack, supported by Dybala and Soule in advanced midfield roles. Neil El Aynaoui partners Bryan Cristante in midfield, with Wesley and Devyne Rensch deployed as wing-backs. The back three consists of Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka and Mario Hermoso.
Roma’s summer signings Santiago Castro and Konstantinos Koulierakis are included among the substitutes. Kick-off is scheduled for 15:00 BST at the Amex Stadium.
Brighton & Hove Albion will field a 4-3-3 formation under head coach Fabian Hurzeler. Bart Verbruggen starts in goal, with Jan Paul van Hecke, Adam Webster, Lewis Dunk and Ozan Kadioglu in defense. Pascal Groß, Joël Veltman and Carlos Baleba form the midfield trio, while Joël Piroe, Kian Brewster and Simon Adingra lead the attack.
This is the first meeting between the two clubs since their two-legged Europa League tie in 2024. Roma won that contest 4-1 on aggregate, following a 4-0 home victory at the Stadio Olimpico in the first leg. The second leg ended in a 1-1 draw at Brighton’s stadium.