The Olimpico was sold out and buzzing. Sixty-five thousand strong were at the stadium to cheer on the Giallorossi. It must’ve been a Champions League match. No, you say? Then it must have been a Derby, or Juve must’ve been in town. No? So what was it then? It was a preseason charity match against Shakhtar in the middle of August.

That’s right; you read that correctly. preseason. If last night’s final preseason tune-up—a 5-0 dismantling of Shakhtar Donetsk—doesn’t make the enthusiasm for this club heading into the season clear, then I don’t know what will. And with their performance, the Giallorossi did nothing short of amping up expectations, just a bit more.

This episode briefly discusses some points of interest from the final warm-up match before Serie A football kicks off in earnest next weekend. Plus, we give all the latest mercato updates. We also look ahead quickly to Sunday’s opener at Salernitana. And we close with a condensed season preview.

We’re looking forward to another excellent podcast season that should be full of exciting things to discuss with the current one Roma. So, thanks as always for tuning in, and we encourage you to weigh in on the message boards below all season long.

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