Roma vs Real Madrid Preview: Team News & Prediction | 2026-27 UEFA Champions League | League Phase
by Trystan Pugh ·
Jose Mourinho returns to the Italian capital as Roma and Real Madrid battle it out on Matchday 2 of the 2026-27 UEFA Champions League.
Kick-off date/time:
How to watch on TV & online: UK – TNT Sports & HBO Max / USA – Paramount+
Roma preview: Still unbeaten
Roma's league phase campaign began with a 1-1 draw against Fenerbahce in Turkiye, with Bryan Cristante opening the scoring for the visitors late in the first half, only for Archie Brown to equalise for the hosts just after the break.
Gian Piero Gasperini's side remain unbeaten in all competitions this season and are coming off successive Serie A draws against fellow Champions League participants Inter and Como.
Real Madrid preview: Work still to do
Jose Mourinho's first season back in the Real Madrid hot seat has so far been a slow burn, with Los Blancos currently six points behind unbeaten leaders Barcelona in the La Liga table.
The most decorated side in European history did get off to a positive start in the Champions League though, holding off fellow heavyweights Inter in a 2-1 victory at the Bernabeu.
Roma team news: Two definite absentees
Cristante, Roma's scorer on Matchday 1, has not recovered from a knee injury sustained in the interim with Gasperini admitting that he needs more time.
Number one goalkeeper Mile Svilar is absent with a fairly short-term injury but Konstantinos Koulierakis has rejoined the group and could feature.
Predicted XI (3-4-1-2): Gollini; Mancini, Balerdi, N'Dicka; Molina, De Roon, Kone, Franca; Soule; Dybala, Malen
Unavailable: Cristante (Injured), Svilar (Injured)
Questionable: Koulierakis (Injured)
Real Madrid team news: Diomande pushing
After scoring the winner against Villarreal on Saturday, Yan Diomande is knocking on the door of a Champions League start at his new club, but another bench role seems most likely in Rome.
Raul Asencio and Rodrygo are both out long-term while Eder Militao is closing in on a return to action but this fixture will come too soon for the centre-back.
Predicted XI (4-2-3-1): Courtois; Dumfries, Konate, Huijsen, Cucurella; Valverde, Tchouameni; Guler, Bellingham, Vinicius Junior; Mbappe
Unavailable: Militao (Injured), Asencio (Injured), Rodrygo (Injured)
Questionable:
Will Kylian Mbappe score against Roma?
Open poll and resultsRoma vs Real Madrid prediction
Real Madrid are yet to deliver a real statement performance since Jose Mourinho returned to the Spanish capital, but 'The Special One' will hope that changes when he returns to one of his former clubs.
The visitors will likely find Roma to be a tough nut to crack though, given that they are unbeaten across all competitions this season under Gasperini. Madrid no doubt have an edge when it comes to their star quality, but you could argue that Roma have performed better as a cohesive unit in 2026-27.
This is by no means clear-cut, and we wouldn't be surprised to see this end all square.
Roma vs Real Madrid Tip: Draw
