Radja Nainggolan on Roma vs Inter: A Litmus Test
Radja Nainggolan knows what it means when Roma meet Inter. He has lived both dressing rooms, heard both anthems from the pitch, felt both sets of fans at full volume. And looking ahead to the looming clash at the Stadio Olimpico, he is in no doubt about who sets the standard in Serie A right now.
Inter, he says, are the team to beat. Full stop.
“Today they have no rivals”
Speaking to La Gazzetta dello Sport, the former Belgium international painted a clear picture of a champion side operating at full power.
“Inter today are a well-built team, they have reached two Champions League finals and have important reserves,” Nainggolan said. “The Scudetto that Napoli won two seasons ago was lost by Inter, in my opinion. Today they have no rivals, but respecting your opponent does not mean not attacking.”
It is that mix of superiority and danger that, in his eyes, makes this meeting such a brutal examination for Gian Piero Gasperini’s Roma. Inter arrive as the benchmark. Roma arrive to discover exactly how far they have come.
For Nainggolan, this is Roma’s litmus test.
The goalkeepers under the spotlight
Strip away the noise and he sees the match hinging on two core elements: defensive solidity and the form of the goalkeepers.
On one side, Mile Svilar, who has quietly turned consistency into a calling card.
“Svilar did very well last year and is confirming it,” Nainggolan noted, underlining the calm presence the Roma goalkeeper has brought to the back line.
On the other, Josep Martinez, thrown into one of the most pressurised roles in Italy as Inter’s first-choice keeper and already under scrutiny after recent errors.
“Martinez is in his first year as a starter and you feel the pressure,” Nainggolan warned.
In a game this tight, one save or one mistake from either man could tilt everything.
Dybala, the difference-maker
If Roma are to land a blow on the champions, Nainggolan is clear about who carries the greatest weight on his shoulders: Paulo Dybala.
“Dybala can make the difference in these games, he is a fantastic player,” he said.
The message is obvious. When the game slows, when Inter’s structure looks unbreakable, Roma will look to Dybala’s left foot to bend the script. One pass, one shot, one moment. That is the level of player Nainggolan believes can crack even this Inter.
No experiments at the back
Nainggolan’s admiration for Gasperini’s attacking intent does not blind him to the realities of facing Lautaro Martinez. Against Inter’s captain, he wants pragmatism, not experiments.
Asked about the choice between Evan Ndicka and Leonardo Balerdi, he didn’t hesitate to stress caution.
“Ndicka or Balerdi? All of Roma’s defenders are performing, but for a game like this and against such a strong opponent, playing Balerdi can be risky,” he explained. “I would play with those who are most stable.”
The instruction is blunt: against Lautaro, reliability beats potential. One misread duel, one mistimed step, and Inter’s ruthless captain will punish you.
Gasperini’s Roma, evolving with Mancini
Nainggolan, though, sees clear progress in Roma’s tactical shape under Gasperini. He singled out Gianluca Mancini’s forward surges as a key piece of that evolution, a defender who can break lines and turn defence into attack in a heartbeat.
Roma, in his view, are no longer a side that simply reacts. They are trying to impose themselves, to attack space, to stretch games. Against the league leaders, that bravery will either elevate them or expose them.
A wound that never quite healed
Beneath the tactical talk, the emotional undercurrent is impossible to ignore. Nainggolan’s bond with Roma has never faded, and he admitted these fixtures still hit differently.
He recalled, with a hint of bitterness, how lies from club officials pushed him towards Inter in 2018, a move he never truly sought. Before that, he had turned down offers from Chelsea and from China to stay in Rome. The sense of unfinished business still lingers.
That is why, even now as a Patro Eisden player, he watches Roma with something more than neutral interest.
The game he would have loved
Nainggolan also allowed himself a glimpse of what might have been under Gasperini. He spoke with admiration of the coach’s attacking approach and admitted he would have relished playing in this version of Roma, especially alongside a forward like Donyell Malen.
The thought hangs there: his aggression, Malen’s pace, Dybala’s craft, all within Gasperini’s high-energy framework. It is the kind of setup that suits players who thrive in chaos.
A stage set for answers
All of that emotion, all of that context, feeds into one game at the Olimpico. Inter arrive as champions in all but name, at least in Nainggolan’s eyes. Roma arrive with momentum, ambition, and questions still to answer.
Can Gasperini’s evolving side hold their nerve at the back? Can Svilar outshine Martinez under the floodlights? Can Dybala bend a title favourite to his will?
For Nainggolan, this is not just another date on the calendar. It is Roma’s chance to smash through their old limits against the team he calls untouchable.
If they manage it, the title race might not look so settled after all.
