Ex-Roma man Nemanja Matic weighs in on Giallorossi’s chances vs Bayer | OneFootball

Former Roma midfielder Nemanja Matic discussed the Giallorossi’s chances heading into the return leg with Bayer Leverkusen.

The Serbian veteran – who played for the capital club between 2022 and 2023 – spoke to Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Sport.

“It will be tough because Leverkusen are a strong and healthy team who are doing great things this year. But if they score in time, Roma have a chance of qualifying, they just need to break the deadlock before the 85th minute.”

“Then in the last 10 minutes everything becomes possible… just look at what we did (Lyon overturned the 2-3 by winning 4-3 in Lille in injury time on Monday evening ed.). The Giallorossi have many experienced players who know how to deal with this type of match.”

“For me it’s not over yet, qualification is still up for grabs. I played with Romelu Lukaku who is a great player. But I prefer Paulo Dybala who is a top player. Then I’m happy that Abraham is back from injury. Tammy has already scored a goal but I think he still needs some time to find his best form. For now it’s already nice to see him on the pitch.”

“The defeat in Budapest with Sevilla? It’s part of football. It was a great match but we then lacked a bit of luck in the penalties. That’s how it went.”

“Mourinho? We have a good relationship and we still talk often. To tell the truth, I’ve never had any problems with him. Mourinho is one of the best coaches in the history of football and wherever he has coached he has won. It’s hard not to get along with him…”