Ludogorets Razgrad v Roma is a match for the first day of the Europa League group stage and will be played on Thursday at 18:45
Roma’s last continental trip coincides with the magical night in Tirana on 25 May, a date the Giallorossi fans will not easily forget. The memory of the Conference League triumph – the first Italian team to win in Europe after 12 years – in the Albanian capital against Feyenoord is still fresh in the capital’s atmosphere. Enthusiasm that has never really died down due to a major strengthening campaign by the club, which brought former Juventus player Paulo Dybala to the banks of the Tiber. As holders of the Conference, Roma have been given the opportunity to be drawn as Europa League top seeds and among the main candidates to reach the bottom of the competition are also José Mourinho’s men, waiting to see who will be relegated from the Champions League once the group stage is over.
Pellegrini and his team-mates have fallen into Group C, where the biggest threat is the Spaniards from Betis, with whom they are likely to compete for first place. Which, let us remember, is the only one that allows them to qualify directly for the round of 16 without having to play the play-offs. Roma will begin their adventure in Bulgaria against Ludogorets Razgrad, a team that has dominated the Bulgarian championship for ten consecutive seasons and is used to frequently treading the European stages.
Coached by the Slovenian Ante Simundza, the green-and-whites failed to qualify for the Champions League in August, being eliminated in the third qualifying round by Dinamo Zagreb, while they easily passed the play-off for the Europa League by ousting the Lithuanians Zalgiris (1-0 in the first leg and 3-3 in the return). In the league they are second behind CSKA Sofia, but in their last match they scrambled Hebar 6-0. Roma, on the other hand, suffered their first defeat of the season in Udine. It was a totally unexpected 4-0 defeat after the 10 points out of 12 earned in the first four matches. Mourinho’s objective is to immediately redeem the away match in Udine, but he will do so without Abraham, who suffered a shoulder injury. Belotti will have a chance in attack, but Celik, Zalewski and new arrival Camara will also make their first-team debuts.
Coach Simundza
The Prediction
Besides the turnover and rotation (which could be ample) Mourinho expects an important reaction from his team after last Sunday’s collapse in Udine: Roma should return with three points from Bulgaria. It will be a high-scoring match, with at least three goals in total, considering the offensive vocation of Ludogorets.
Ludogorets Razgrad v Roma likely line-up
- LUDOGORETS RAZGRAD (4-2-3-1): Padt; Cicinho, Plastun, Verdon, Nedyalkov; Piotrowski, Show; Tekpetey, Cauly, Despodov; Tissera.
- ROMA (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Celik, Camara, Matic, Zalewski; Pellegrini, Dybala; Belotti.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-2