Feyenoord-Roma is a match valid for the first leg of the quarterfinals of the Europa League and is played on Thursday at 18:45: TV, probable formations, predictions.
A match that inevitably stirred up sweet memories for Roma fans, who meet Feyenoord again not even a year after the magical night in Tirana, the one in which the Giallorossi ended their long trophy fast by putting the Conference League in their trophy cabinet. Now it’s up to Jose Mourinho’s team not to sully that memory in a double-header that promises balance and is worth a pass to the Europa League semifinals.
In any case, the mere fact of finishing in the top eight of a more competitive and higher-level event than last season’s denotes important growth on the part of both teams. Both Roma and Feyenoord, moreover, were drawn in the more affordable part of the table, avoiding the bogeymen Manchester United and Juventus: should they pass the round they would face the winner of Bayer Leverkusen and Union Saint-Gilloise. The Portuguese coach seems to be aiming hard at winning another European cup, and this is shown by the fact that in the previous two rounds he knocked off two tough opponents such as Salzburg and Real Sociedad, demonstrating solidity but above all character and personality. An almost flawless path whose downside, however, is the great discontinuity in the league. Roma, in fact, struggles to hit the ground running in the two competitions and it should come as no surprise that it has left too many points on the road, especially after close engagements.
Two improved teams
And yet lately, two wins in a row against Sampdoria (3-0) and Torino (0-1) were enough to file away the disappointment of the derby defeat to Lazio and return to the top four in the standings, also taking advantage of the Milanese’s stuttering.
Feyenoord players
What has landed in the Netherlands is a Roma side in confidence, which has been able to build on its defeats. It will need another excellent defensive performance to muzzle Feyenoord’s prolific attack, which despite losing several players from last year is an even more fearsome team. On the bench is always Arne Slot, eager for revenge after the conference final. No one has scored more goals than the Rotterdam club in this edition of the Europa League. Seven Feyenoord scored them only against Shakhtar Donetsk in the return leg of the round of 16, after drawing 1-1 in the first leg. In the group stage, on the other hand, Kokçu and his teammates had decreed the elimination of another Roman side, Lazio, whose defeat (1-0) on the last day at De Kuip found themselves resoundingly third in a group in which all four teams finished on eight points. In the Eredivisie, on the other hand, Slot’s men “see” the title thanks to their eight-point lead over Ajax: on Sunday they scrambled Waalwijk (5-1) by scoring for the 24th time in a row.
In Feyenoord’s offensive trident there will be no Jahanbakhsh: the Iranian got injured in training and will be replaced by Brazilian Paixao. No problem instead for the convalescent Geertruida. Mourinho grappling with the doubt Abraham: it is not excluded that the Englishman will start from the bench, with Belotti pawing the field. In defense, Llorente-Ibanez duel.
The prediction
Feyenoord, unlike a year ago, finds the way of goal very often and Roma’s number one goal will be to limit the Dutchmen’s offensive maneuver. The Giallorossi will play another game of substance like in San Sebastian, trying to return to the capital with a positive result. At home, however, Slot’s team has an extra gear and is unlikely to run out of goals. Both should score.
Feyenoord-Roma likely lineups
- FEYENOORD (4-3-3): Wellenreuther; Geertruida, Trauner, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Kökçü, Szymański; Paixão, Gimenez, Idrissi.
- ROMA (3-4-2-1): Rui Patrício; Mancini, Smalling, Ibañez; Zalewski, Wijnaldum, Matić, Spinazzola; Dybala, Pellegrini; Belotti.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1