AS Roma will host Feyenoord in the second leg of the UEFA Europa quarter-finals on Thursday, looking to book their place in the semi-finals.
AS Roma were beaten 1-0 by Feyenoord in the Netherlands, and they will be looking to bounce back strongly and pick up a comprehensive win at home. Jose Mourinho’s men have been difficult to beat at home and will fancy their chances of winning the tie here.
Meanwhile, Feyenoord will be hoping to eliminate Roma from the competition and avenge the defeat to the Italian outfit in the final of the UEFA Europa Conference League last season.
The Dutch outfit are in impressive form right now picking up five wins from the last six outings across all competitions. Meanwhile, the home side have picked up three wins from the last four matches, and their only defeat has come against Feyenoord in that time.
Jose Mourinho will demand a strong reaction from his players, and it remains to be seen whether Roma can grind out a positive result here. The Hard Tackle takes a closer look at the encounter ahead of the latest meeting between the two sides.
New week, same determination. 👊
🆚 Feyenoord… 🔜 #ASRoma
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) April 17, 2023
Team News & Tactics
AS Roma
The home side will be without the services of Rick Karsdrop, who is ruled out after having knee surgery last month. Paulo Dybala picked up a knock against Udinese on the weekend, but he is expected to return here. Roma are likely to shape up in a 3-4-2-1 formation, with Rui Patricio in goal.
Gianluca Mancini will start in the factory alongside Chris Smalling and Roger Ibanez in a back three. Nicola Zalewski and Leonardo Spinazzola will be deployed as the wing-backs. The two players will look to add creativity and service from the wide areas apart from the defensive duties.
Bryan Cristante will partner Nemanja Matic at the heart of the midfield. While the Serb will look to break up the opposition’s play and win the ball back, Cristante will look to add creativity to the side.
Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala will start as the attacking midfielders, and they will look to add creativity from the central areas and drift out wide from time to time. Finally, Tammy Abraham is set to lead the line for the home side.
Probable Lineup (3-4-2-1): Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Zalewski, Cristante, Matic, Spinazzola; Pellegrini, Dybala; Abraham
Feyenoord
The visitors will be without the services of Patrik Walemark and Mimeirhel Benita. Both players have been ruled out for the remainder of the campaign with serious injuries.
The in-demand Arne Slot is likely to field his side in a 4-3-3 formation. Timon Wellenreuther will start in goal for the visitors. Feyenoord are likely to deploy Lutsharel Geertruida and Quilindschy Hartman as the full-backs. Gernot Trauner will partner with David Hancko at the heart of the defence.
Sebastian Szymański will start in the middle of the park along, with Mats Wieffer and Orkun Kokcu. Kokcu has been in splendid form this season and he will look to add goals and creativity to the side.
Alireza Jahanbaksh and Oussama Idrissi will start as the wingers here and they will look to hit Roma on the counter. Santiago Gimenez has been in red-hot form this season, and he will look to lead the line for the Dutch outfit and pile further misery on Roma by registering his name on the scoresheet.
Probable Lineup (4-3-3): Wellenreuther; Geertruida, Trauner, Hancko, Hartman; Szymanski, Wieffer, Kokcu; Jahanbaksh, Gimenez, Idrissi
Key Stats
- AS Roma are unbeaten in three of the last four matches against Feyenoord across all competitions.
- Roma have conceded just nine goals in Serie A at home this season.
- Feyenoord have not lost any of their last four away matches in the Europa League.
- Feyenoord have lost just one of the last 26 matches across all competitions.
- Roma have won four of their five Europa League matches at home this season.
Player to Watch
Paulo Dybala
AS Roma need a comeback against Feyenoord at the Stadio Olimpico, It's going to be a fight to the death if Roma are to qualify for the Semi-Finals of the Europa League.
Paulo Dybala recovers just in time for the tie, Roma will need him tomorrow more than ever.
Daje Roma💪 pic.twitter.com/D1UZakyJl8
— MourinhoXtra™ (@Mourinho_Xtra) April 19, 2023
The Argentine international will be a key player for AS Roma as they look to overturn the deficit from the first leg. Dybala was a substitute in the first leg and Roma missed his ingenuity and quality in the final third.
The 29-year-old has been in fantastic form this season, scoring 15 goals and picking up seven assists across all competitions. Dybala has the ability to open up the Feyenoord defence and help Roma get back into the contest.
Prediction
AS Roma 2-0 Feyenoord
Jose Mourinho is one of the best tacticians of his generation, and he knows what it takes to grind out important wins at crucial stages of the season. Roma are undoubtedly the favourites here at home, and their home record has been phenomenal in European competitions since Mourinho took over.
While the Dutch outfit will look to make life difficult for the Giallorossi, the home side have enough quality to grind out a comprehensive victory here. The Hard Tackle predicts a 2-0 win for Roma tomorrow.