Gian Piero Gasperini said on Sunday that he will not discuss his future for now, insisting Roma must focus on the match at the Olimpico against Fiorentina and the final four fixtures of the season.
At a press conference before the Serie A 35th matchday clash, Gasperini told reporters: "Giustamente si comincerà a parlare del futuro, ma non credo che sia questo il momento per farlo, non per sviare ma perché siamo dentro la stagione." He added that "quando si inizierà a parlarne cercherò di essere più chiaro possibile, non tanto per noi ma per chi giustamente segue la squadra e ha bisogno di capire cosa si cercherà di fare."
The timing matters: Roma enter the weekend off a win at Bologna and with four league matches left while still in the race for a Champions League place, and Gasperini stressed that concentration must remain on results. "In questo momento ci sono 2 binari: uno che è quello della stagione attuale che è viva, molto attiva," he said, and later: "C’è massima concentrazione su questa partita perché a 4 giornate dalla fine siamo ancora dentro alla lotta Champions."
The immediate weight of the fixture is plain in the formbook. Fiorentina arrive on a seven-match unbeaten league run, while Roma have now scored in 11 consecutive matches. Both clubs have recently produced low-scoring affairs: Fiorentina recorded five Under 2.5 results in their last five matches, and Roma have collected 22 Under 2.5 results across the season. The Serie A late fixture on matchday 35 — the second late kick at the Olimpico — shapes as a pivotal weekend tie in that closing stretch.
Gasperini praised his players' response under pressure: "Il comportamento della squadra è stato eccezionale, in questo senso cerchiamo di andare avanti così in queste 4 partite." He also noted the presence at the stadium of owner Corbin Friedkin, calling it "sicuramente un segnale che magari la proprietà inizia a muoversi non solo per quello che è il finale di campionato ma anche in prospettiva futura." That remark exposes the season's tension: public uncertainty about a coach's future sits alongside visible signals the ownership is planning beyond the present campaign.
That tension is sharpened by Gasperini's refusal to let discussion of his future distract the squad at a delicate moment. He framed two parallel priorities — the alive, active season and the need to address future questions later — a line that both protects the dressing room now and postpones the clarity fans and observers say they want.
Preparations for the match have also produced concrete lineup talk. SOS Fanta reported on 4 May 2026 that Koné seems favored to return to the midfield starting lineup. The expected Roma back line in front of Svilar is Mancini, Ndicka and Hermoso, with Celik on the right wing and Wesley on the left. Cristante is expected to pair with Koné in midfield. Up front, Malen is penciled in as the center forward with Soulé playing behind him; one of Pisilli or Dybala is expected to play in the role behind Malen with Pisilli slightly ahead in the pecking order, El Shaarawy further back, and Zaragoza omitted from the squad of convoked players.
For now, Gasperini's promise to make himself "più chiaro possibile" when talks begin must suffice. The more immediate question — and the one that will decide how his eventual clarity is received — is whether Roma can convert the next four matches, starting with Roma Vs Fiorentina, into points that keep them in the Champions fight.
