Friendly: Borussia Dortmund vs. Roma official line-ups
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Official starting line-ups confirmed for the pre-season friendly between Borussia Dortmund and Roma.
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Attributed to original sourceRoma start Paulo Dybala, Donyell Malen and Matias Soulé in their final pre-season friendly trip to Borussia Dortmund, who play Italy Under-21 international Samuele Inacio.
It kicks off at the Signal Iduna Park in Dortmund at 16.30 UK time (17.30 CEST).
NEWPORT, WALES – AUGUST 04: Gian Piero Gasperini, Head Coach of AS Roma, looks on before the pre-season friendly match between Newport County and AS Roma at Rodney Parade on August 04, 2026 in Newport, Wales. (Photo by Dan Istitene/Getty Images) This is the last test for the two teams before the regular season begins next weekend and one final chance for Gian Piero Gasperini to get his men in gear.
That has been a significant problem this summer after a series of sluggish performances, including heavy defeats to Brighton and Cardiff City.
Manu Koné is back on the bench after reaching the World Cup semi-final with France, while new signing Nahuel Molina is hoping to get his debut following the move from Atletico Madrid.
Dybala, Malen and Soulé are again the front three, with Neil El Aynaoui in midfield.
A surprise is 18-year-old youth product Emanuele Lulli at right wing-back, an area where Roma are still hoping to bring in reinforcements, as Wesley is injured.
BRIGHTON, ENGLAND – AUGUST 08: Paulo Dybala of AS Roma controls the ball during the pre-season friendly match between Brighton & Hove Albion and AS Roma at American Express Stadium on August 08, 2026 in Brighton, England. (Photo by Steve Bardens/Getty Images) Borussia Dortmund are also gearing up for the start of the Bundesliga, and they pick Italy Under-21 international Inacio upfront with Serhou Guirassy.
The 18-year-old was in the headlines this week with reports he could be called up by Brazil, seeing as he has one Brazilian parent and one Italian.
TRIESTE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 03: Samuele Inacio of Italy U17 celebrates after scoring the opening goal during the International Friendly match between Italy U17 and Portugal U17 at Stadio Nereo Rocco on September 03, 2024 in Trieste, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images) A product of the Atalanta youth academy, he moved to Borussia Dortmund in 2024.
Inacio isn’t the only Italy international in the German side, as 21-year-old Filippo Mane also plays, with Luca Reggiani on the bench.
Borussia Dortmund vs. Roma line-ups Borussia Dortmund: Kobel; Mane, Bensebaini, Gadou; Ryerson, Bellingham, Nmecha, Svensson; Karetsas; Inacio, Guirassy
Roma: Svilar; Mancini, N’Dicka, Hermoso; Lulli, Cristante, El Aynaoui, Rensch; Soulé, Dybala; Malen
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What happened
The official team sheets have been released for the pre-season friendly between Borussia Dortmund and Roma. As a warm-up fixture outside of competitive action, the line-ups provide an early indication of tactical preferences and squad fitness heading into the new season for both clubs. Friendlies typically feature experimentation with formations, youth players, and returning fitness cases.
Chance analysis
Pre-season friendlies carry limited predictive value for upcoming competitive matches, but they offer insight into managerial tactical intent and squad readiness. Line-ups can hint at which players are ahead in the pecking order or recovering from injury. For prediction systems, this should be weighted minimally given the lack of competitive stakes and likelihood of wholesale changes during the match.
Minimal impact — pre-season friendly with no competitive consequences for either club.
Treat as low-signal pre-season data; do not extrapolate line-up choices to competitive fixtures.