Cristante knee scare: doubt for Como, Real Madrid in sight

Bryan Cristante is a serious doubt for Roma's away trip to Como on Sunday 11 October. The midfielder felt discomfort in his knee and, according to Corriere dello Sport, had not yet undergone the imaging scans that will clarify how serious the problem actually is.

It is not an isolated setback: Cristante had already left Italy's national team camp in Coverciano early because of lower back pain picked up after the league match against Inter, which forced Roberto Mancini to call up Samuele Ricci in his place. With that international break now behind him, it is the knee that has Roma's camp on edge.

Calciomercato.com, citing Corriere della Sera, goes further and talks of a real risk of a lengthy spell out, up to three weeks: a scenario that, if confirmed by further tests, would cost Cristante not only the Como game but also the Champions League trip to face Real Madrid on 14 October and the league match at Genoa on the 17th. In that case his return would be pushed back towards the Europa League tie with Slovan Bratislava, around 20 October. It should be stressed that this is a projection rather than a final medical verdict: the same source notes that everything will depend on the examinations in the coming days.

For anyone with Cristante in their squad, the news carries weight. The former Atalanta man has answered every call so far this season: five league appearances and one in the Europa League, a competition in which he also scored his first goal of the campaign against Fenerbahce. That consistency has made him a fixture in Gasperini's midfield, and an absence of two or three matches would hit right at the busiest point of the calendar, between league and Champions League duty.

Anyone who picked him up as a premium midfielder (price tag of 12, in the 11-20 bracket, where a good rating in that range earns a bonus point) should consider a precautionary change already for the Como game, especially if the examinations in the coming hours confirm a serious problem. Roma are not short of options in that role: Manu Koné, an outright protagonist of the midfield this season, and Mora, both more productive in terms of bonus points than Cristante himself so far. Further back, Pisilli would also get a chance to make up ground if his teammate's absence drags on.

Roma are waiting for the test results before settling every doubt. In the meantime, anyone submitting a lineup for the Como round would do well to have a backup ready, at least until the club gives a clearer verdict on his recovery time.