Roma are missing both their goalkeeper and their most creative player for this one, and I think that combination matters more than either absence alone. Our availability list has Svilar and Dybala out, along with Pellegrini, Bah and Kone, so the spine from keeper to number ten is rebuilt at once. Cagliari are short too, but in different places. I'd ask whether a stand-in keeper behind a re-patched Roma defence is the real pressure point, or whether Cagliari lack the attackers to exploit it.
Roma's side first. A back-up keeper changes more than saves: the defenders have to decide how far to trust him on crosses and through balls, and that often shows in how deep the line sits. With Dybala gone, there is also less of the between-the-lines passing that usually keeps Roma's possession safe, so turnovers could come in more dangerous areas.
Cagliari's list has Winks, Felici and Idrissi out, which takes midfield and wide cover rather than a single star. That could limit how quickly they can break once they win the ball, which is the one route a visiting side usually needs here. So the match may turn on whether Cagliari can even produce those transitions, not just whether Roma leak them.
The availability data is marked as trial in our system, so treat the exact list as provisional until the line-ups are out.
