Bayer Leverkusen-Roma is a match valid for the return leg of the Europa League semifinals and is played Thursday at 9 p.m.: free-to-air TV, lineups, predictions.
Roma is just 90 minutes away from its second consecutive European final. This time it’s not the Conference but the Europa League, although Jose Mourinho and his men are hoping for the same ending. In the memory of Tirana, here comes Budapest: the last hurdle to overcome is that of the BayArena in Leverkusen, where the Giallorossi in the return semifinal need only not to lose to fly to Hungary and play for another international trophy.
A week ago, on the momentum of the 63,000 at the Stadio Olimpico, a Roma Roma side with a very short bench showed, on the whole, that they had something more than the Germans, coached by a former pupil of Mourinho’s in his Real Madrid days, Xabi Alonso. Bayer almost always had the ball of the game but never really made themselves dangerous, caged by the dense defensive plots of the Capitolini, who were able to throw their hearts over the hurdle despite numerous absences. Roma pulled the rabbit out of its hat early in the second half, finding the go-ahead goal with Bove, a talented youth product whom Mourinho has been deploying as a starter for a few games now to make up for the shortage of alternatives. With minimal effort, the Giallorossi put their noses to the front: 1-0 has become almost a trademark in matches played in front of their own public.
Roma grappling with the away problem
The qualification, however, remains in the balance. With Roma called upon to turn the tables on the last few Europa League away matches: in the knockout stage, in fact, Pellegrini and his teammates never won or scored, losing to Salzburg and Feyenoord – two opponents later overturned at home – and drawing with Real Sociedad.
Bayer Leverkusen players
The Giallorossi will therefore not be able to lower the bar by replicating the excellent defensive performance at the Stadio Olimpico. Bayer Leverkusen is a team that goes into trouble if it can’t find space but it is obvious that if it were to take the lead, it would have to be done all over again. Meanwhile, the 0-0 draw in Bologna on Sunday confirmed that Roma’s and Mourinho’s number one goal is now the Europa League: at the “Dall’Ara” a team packed with reserves took the field, which had no intention of raising the tempo. The Capitolini, having slipped to -6 from fourth place, seem to have raised the white flag in the race for Champions. The double commitment is also affecting Leverkusen, which had to settle for a disappointing draw at home to Stuttgart, also saying goodbye to fifth place: for the Aspirins it was the fourth game without a win and in which Wirtz and his teammates never scored more than one goal.
Xabi Alonso will not be able to count on the injured Kossounou and Andrich, who will be replaced by Demirbay and Bakker. In attack it is a ballot between Hlozek and Adli. Roma will be missing Kumbulla, El Shaarawy, Karsdorp and Llorente but Mourinho hopes to recover Dybala and Smalling, both of whom have returned to training, in extremis.
The prediction
We don’t expect a different script from the first leg, with Bayer Leverkusen trying from the start to up the tempo to recover the disadvantage. Another intense 90 minutes loom for Roma. But for what it showed seven days ago it should be able to avoid defeat in a match of less than four goals total, bringing home qualification. The first half could end in a draw.
Bayer Leverkusen-Roma likely lineups
- BAYER LEVERKUSEN (3-4-2-1): Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapié; Frimpong, Demirbay, Palacios, Bakker; Diaby, Wirtz; Hložek.
- ROMA (3-5-1-1): Rui Patrício; Mancini, Cristante, Ibañez; Celik, Bove, Matić, Wijnaldum, Spinazzola; Pellegrini; Abraham.
POSSIBLE RESULT: 1-1
