Preview: Cardiff City vs Roma - prediction, team news, lineups

As preparations continue for the upcoming campaign, Cardiff City will welcome Roma to the Welsh capital on Saturday.

Set to meet for a pre-season friendly, the hosts are looking forward to their Championship comeback while their Italian visitors will soon return to the Champions League.

Match preview

After recovering from a potentially costly mid-season slump, Roma ultimately stormed towards the finish line last term, ending their 2025-26 Serie A campaign with five straight wins.

Scoring 13 goals and conceding just twice in the process, a last-day victory over Hellas Verona saw the Giallorossi finish inside Italy's top four for the first time in eight years.

Gian Piero Gasperini's first season unexpectedly ended with Roma sitting third in the final standings, thereby bringing Champions League football back to Stadio Olimpico.

A Europa League winner with Atalanta, who he also led to the knockout phase of Europe's top competition on several occasions, Gasperini hopes to recreate that magic in Rome - but financial restraints have slowed the club's summer recruitment.

Two key men have been retained, though, with Donyell Malen - who made a huge impact after arriving in the second half of last season - and Paulo Dybala both finding the net in Roma's opening friendly.

Despite Dybala's double, the Giallorossi ran out of steam after going down to 10 men and let a three-goal lead slip to draw 3-3 with French Ligue 3 club Cannes.

Building towards a league opener against Fiorentina on August 24, they are now bound for Britain, where games against Cardiff, Newport County and Brighton await.

While Roma were busy earning a seat at Europe's top table, Cardiff comfortably escaped the third tier of English football last season, with the Welsh club securing an immediate return to the Championship.

Though they were beaten to top spot by League One champions Lincoln City, Brian Barry-Murphy's men finished 14 points ahead of third-placed Bolton Wanderers.

Cardiff certainly bounced back strongly from the disappointment of relegation, closing out the season with just one loss from their last eight league games - a nine-goal thriller against Mansfield Town on the final day.

Only Lincoln picked up more points on home turf, while the Bluebirds averaged more than two goals per game at Cardiff City Stadium, where Saturday's high-profile friendly will take place.

So far in pre-season, they have played three times already, responding to a 6-0 thumping by Midtjylland with emphatic 6-1 and 5-1 wins over Cork City and Forest Green respectively.

Ultimately, Barry-Murphy has his eye on an all-Welsh blockbuster later in August, when Cardiff host Wrexham on the Championship's opening matchday.

Cardiff City Club pre-season form:

L W W

Roma pre-season form:

Team News

While French World Cup star Manu Kone - a potential target for Manchester United - is still on holiday, Roma were able to name a strong starting XI for their opening friendly.

However, former club captain Lorenzo Pellegrini has yet to agree a new contract and is also recovering from a minor thigh operation, so he is also unavailable.

Brazilian wing-back Wesley was sent off against Cannes, while Nicolo Pisilli has suffered a calf strain; Ukrainian striker Artem Dobvyk is reportedly set to trade places with Bologna's Santiago Castro.

Until the latter arrives, Dybala and Malen should continue to combine up front; meanwhile, Cardiff's attack could be led by Yousef Salech, after the Danish forward scored 14 goals in League One last season.

Ex-Benfica winger Chris Willock bagged a first-half hat-trick in the recent win over Forest Green Rovers, and he should also start in the final third.

Fifteen-year-old Noah Anyadike made a brief cameo at the end of that match, as Barry-Murphy looks to give more youngsters a chance; Dylan Lawlor, Ronan Kpakio and Joel Colwill all made their senior Wales debut last season.

Cardiff City possible starting lineup:

Tyrer; Kpakio, Osho, Lawlor, Bagan; J. Colwill, Turnbull; Robinson, R. Colwill, Willock; Salech

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Rensch, Cristante, Bah, Angelino; Dybala, Soule; Malen

We say: Cardiff City 2-2 Roma

There may be a gulf in class between the two sides, but Roma are behind Cardiff in terms of match-fitness and they do not tend to travel well.

The hosts have been prolific in pre-season - and were League One's top scorers last term - so they can pull off a morale-boosting draw against Champions League-bound opposition.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.