The 2026-2027 Serie A season kicked off around Italy over the last weekend but it's already time to focus on what will happen in the upcoming days. Inter and AS Roma were the most convincing sides in the opening weekend of action, but AC Milan, Napoli and Juventus also won their opening match. Let's now take a closer look at what to watch for on Matchday 2: the player, the team, and the storylines you need to know.
The 19-year old Italian winger was the biggest surprise of the opening AC Milan match against Torino as he scored the opening goal of the 2-1 win at the Stadio Grande Torino. Cisse is highly valued by his coach Ruben Amorim who wanted him to stay at the club despite the chance to leave on loan for a season, after playing for Catanzaro in the past season and almost reaching Serie A promotion with the second-division team. Amorim said he's "in love with him" and decided to start him against Torino.
Cisse delivered immediately and scored the opening goal of the season for the Rossoneri and his first ever Serie A goal. Cisse proved to be at the level asked by Amorim, and he's expected to start again on Friday when AC Milan will host Venezia while Christian Pulisic is still recovering from his late injury at the 2026 World Cup. He only started to train with the team last week.
Cissé's role is that of an attacking left winger, the same position normally occupied by Rafael Leao, who is now expected to leave the Rossoneri in the final days of the summer transfer window after reportedly choosing Galatasaray over Aston Villa. The Portuguese star asked to leave before the start of the World Cup and he's expected to do so. While new signing Diego Moreira is still adapting to the new club, Amorim can count on Cisse, who proved to be a valuable option in the attack in the opening game of the season.
Gian Piero Gasperini's AS Roma dominated Fiorentina in the opening match of the season and won 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico. More than the goals scored, it was the entertaining way of playing of the Giallorossi that made Italian soccer sit up and take notice. The second season under the Italian coach started off well, in particular the attacking duo formed by Paulo Dybala, who signed a new deal and didn't leave this summer, and Donny Malen.
Dybala delivered three assists, while Malen scored his first hat-trick of the season. If this duo can continue to perform at this level, just like they did in the opening game, AS Roma fans have plenty of reasons to be hopeful about the season ahead. This weekend, they'll face their former coach Eusebio Di Francesco and Lecce in what will be their second test of the season.
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