Roma chief Massara: ‘Dybala will have tests, Carrasco off the table’

Roma director Ricky Massara confirms Paulo Dybala will ‘have tests’ on his knee tomorrow, so won’t play against Panathinaikos, while Yannick Carrasco is ‘off the table.’

It kicks off at the Spyros Louis stadium in Athens at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game and Maccabi Tel-Aviv vs. Bologna on the Liveblog.

This is the final round of the league phase in the tournament and therefore all the matches are played simultaneously.

The Giallorossi are already guaranteed a place in the play-offs, but know a win here would secure a top eight finish and therefore direct access to the Round of 16.

Dybala is on the bench, but there were reports today he had a knee twinge in training yesterday and the pain intensified today, so tests are expected tomorrow to see if there is ligament or meniscus damage.

“With this pain, it is more prudent for him to rest today. We are not particularly worried, but clearly we will do all the tests when we return to Rome tomorrow morning,” explained Massara on Sky Sport Italia.

Already out of action are Manu Kone, Evan Ferguson, Artem Dovbyk, Mario Hermoso and Angelino, while Donyell Malen and Robinio Vaz are cup-tied until the knockouts.

The positive news is that Gian Piero Gasperini has seen significant improvement from the likes of squad players Jan Ziolkowski, Daniele Ghilardi and Niccolò Pisilli.

“We started a new era, trying to bring down the average age of the squad, and that also means young players need time to develop and improve. We are fortunate to have a great coach who knows how to develop and make the most of talent like nobody else.”

The transfer window is still open for a few more days and Roma have been linked with Atalanta’s Kamaldeen Sulemana, also a target for Napoli.

“Many names are mentioned in these final days of the transfer window and we’ll see, all the clubs including us are looking around for opportunities if we can improve the team, but there’s nothing imminent,” assured Massara.

If they do bring in any more players, are Roma looking specifically for an attacking wide man who can cut inside and shoot?

“We had identified the forward line as the one that needed to be completed. We signed Malen, Vaz and Venturino, all players who can give us a big hand, and we’ll see if there are any other opportunities.”

There were also reports of a pursuit for Al-Shabab FC winger Yannick Carrasco.

“We had thought about Carrasco, but that option is completely off the table now.”