Europa League – Brighton vs. Roma: Preview & Predicted Lineups | OneFootball

Brighton is set to host Roma in the second leg of their Europa League encounter, with the English side facing an uphill battle after a 4-0 defeat in the first leg at the Stadio Olimpico last week.

As the teams gear up for another intense clash, anticipation surrounding the Giallorossi is high as they look to secure their place in the competition’s quarterfinals.

The match kicks-off on Thursday evening at 21.00 CET at the Amex Stadium in East Sussex, UK.

Roma

Roma enters the second leg with confidence sky-high following their commanding victory in the first leg along with Sunday’s last-gasp equaliser against Fiorentina.

The Giallorossi asserted their dominance last week at the Stadio Olimpico, showcasing their attacking prowess with a resounding 4-0 triumph—leaving the Seagulls with an uphill battle in the second leg. Nonetheless, manager Daniele De Rossi insisted his side can’t afford to rest on their laurels while complimenting the English’s side’s attacking abilities.

“Tomorrow we have to be careful. We must be aware that Brighton had 4-5 chances in the first leg,” De Rossi told the media.

“Managing the result does not mean sitting back, locking yourself in your own penalty area and hoping not to concede 4 goals. We have to think that if we scored two goals, our average, it would be difficult to concede six, but we have to play another great game.”

Furthermore, De Rossi will be forced to contend with multiple absences including that of Romelu Lukaku, who’s dealing with a hip problem. He’s also likely to rest Paulo Dybala and hand Tommaso Baldanzi his first European start.

Brighton

As for the hosts, tomorrow’s second leg presents an opportunity for redemption and a chance to showcase their resilience. In last week’s first leg, the Seagulls became the first English club to lose a Europa League match by four goals in the knockout stage of the competition.

Despite the odds being stacked against his side, manager Roberto De Zerbi insisted the team still believes qualification is possible. He urged his players to learn from their mistakes in the previous encounter and come out with renewed determination.

“We haven’t scored many goals in our last few games, but we’ve created a lot of opportunities,” he stated during his pre-match press conference.

“My job is to focus on us doing better such as cutting down the mistakes in the final third. We’ll need to work hard to create scoring chances—attack space and play between the lines. Though, it’s ultimately up to players themselves to score goals.”

Predicted Lineups

BRIGHTON (4-2-3-1): Verbruggen; Lamptey, Dunk, van Hecke, Estupinan; Gilmour, Gross; Buonanotte, Fati, Adingra; Welbeck

Unavailable: Kaoru Mitoma, Joao Pedro, James Milner, Solly March, Jack Hinshelwood

ROMA (4-3-3): Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Spinazzola; Bove, Paredes, Pellegrini; Baldanzi, Azmoun, El Shaarawy

Unavailable: Tammy Abraham, Rick Karsdorp, Romelu Lukaku, Rasmus Kristensen