Soulé Has Chance to Shine as Roma Attempts to Exorcise Napoli Demons

Tomorrow’s match with Napoli is yet another installment in the Derby del Sole. In recent years, Roma’s second most significant derby has been littered with losses for the Giallorossi, resulting in only one win in the last ten encounters. This time, however, the two clubs feel like they’re going in opposite directions. After what feels like decades of work, Roma is in the thick of the Scudetto fight, while Napoli are ninth with 10 points. This is a pretty unique moment for Napoli; they’ve made their worst start to a Serie A season in more than 20 years, most recently losing 1–0 to a Venezia side that had yet to earn a point.

By contrast, the Giallorossi are riding high after a Champions League rout of Slovan Bratislava, and despite injuries beginning to pile up, even Roma’s atypical starting eleven is translating to positive results. The only loss in recent memory is Roma’s unfortunate collapse against Real Madrid; that has me feeling that if there was ever a time for Roma to rewrite the recent history of the Derby, it is in this moment, against a Napoli side short on confidence and searching for answers.

What to Watch For

How Long Can Gollini Keep This Up?

When Mile Svilar went down with a fractured pinky toe, many Romanisti assumed the worst: that the Giallorossi’s tough stretch of matches would end their hopes of a deep run in both Serie A and the Champions League, and that Roma’s backup, Pierluigi Gollini, would turn Roma’s defense into a sieve. Instead, Gollini has been the least of Roma’s worries. In four matches without Svilar, the Giallorossi have kept three clean sheets, and Gollini’s four saves against Como in his first league start since the 2024/2025 season proved to be more than just a one-time thing. The only real blemish on his record in Svilar’s absence was Roma’s 4–3 loss to Real Madrid, but even there, it’s hard to blame Gollini individually for the defense collapsing on three late corners. Svilar’s not expected back until late November, so Gollini will be in the goal yet again.

Napoli seem like they won’t be the most serious challenge Gollini will face in the next few weeks; they’ve only scored ten times in seven matches, and several key players are out of the lineup for Allegri’s men. Still, if Gollini and the Giallorossi can keep the likes of Scott McTominay and Lorenzo Lucca from scoring, it’ll be a good sign for his ability to keep this good form going until Svilar returns.

With Dybala and Pellegrini Out, A Big Chance for Soulé

Gollini isn’t the only fill-in Roma will be counting on at the Maradona. Paulo Dybala is still out with a calf strain, and even if Lorenzo Pellegrini isn’t the star he once was, his own injury that he picked up in the Slovan Bratislava match will see him miss the next few weeks and make Roma’s creative depth even thinner. That leaves Gasperini with almost no choices behind Donyell Malen. Most Italian outlets expect Rodrigo Mora and Matías Soulé to fill the two attacking-midfield spots, and it couldn’t be coming at a better time for the continued development of Roma’s other Argentine winger.

Soulé is slowly but surely on the path towards stardom for both club and country. He earned his first Argentina cap earlier this month and posted seven goals and seven assists last season. Still, he’s spent most of his career in Roma in the shadow of Dybala (and Pellegrini, at times). Tomorrow, there’s no alternative other than him; he must be the main source of creativity. Soulé is also likely to take over most of the corners and free kicks with Dybala out, which could be hugely significant against a Napoli side that’s been leaking goals recently. Roma haven’t won in Naples in more than eight years. If that’s going to change, I’d say that Soulé is very, very likely to be the reason why.