Ghisolfi: ‘Roma passed through the storm, we know what we want’ | OneFootball

Director Florent Ghisolfi admits Roma ‘passed through the storm’ earlier this season and that Athletic Club are Europa League favourites, but ‘we are hungry and know what we want.’

It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 20.00 GMT.

You can follow all the build-up and action as it happens from this game, Panathinaikos-Fiorentina and Viktoria Plzen-Lazio on the Liveblog.

The second leg will be in Bilbao next Thursday evening.

The Giallorossi are gaining confidence with five wins and a draw in their last six competitive games, eliminating FC Porto in the play-offs.

They hope to rely on their excellent home record and the atmosphere provided by the supporters.

“It’s incredible, this is what Roma is all about,” Ghisolfi told Sky Sport Italia looking at the stands.

While Alexis Saelemaekers was expected to start after his Europa League suspension, it is Devyne Rensch who gets the nod.

“He is a good lad with a top mentality. He’s versatile and that is important for the coach, as Rensch can play in three different tactical positions, all with quality.

“The coach made this decision also based on the profile of our players as well as the characteristics of our opponents this evening.”

Ghisolfi looks to Roma present and future

ROME, ITALY – OCTOBER 24: Tommaso Baldanzi of AS Roma is challenged by Kostyantyn Vivcharenko of FC Dynamo Kyiv during the UEFA Europa League 2024/25 League Phase MD3 match between AS Roma and FC Dynamo Kyiv at Stadio Olimpico on October 24, 2024 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)

Manu Kone and Lorenzo Pellegrini are left on the bench in favour of Niccolò Pisilli and Tommaso Baldanzi.

“We are not looking at age right now. One of our objectives was to have a young and dynamic Roma side, so Baldanzi brings dynamism and freshness to the side. We are happy,” explained Ghisolfi.

“We know that Pisilli has energy and quality, we also have players ready to bring their characteristics off the bench during the game.

“We are a real family now and this evening must again prove that we are a real team.”

Roma are up against Athletic Club Bilbao, who for many are one of the favourites to win the Europa League this season.

“This is a very difficult match, because Athletic are a great side with a clear identity who finished second in the Europa League table, are fourth in LaLiga and know the Europa League Final will be in Bilbao, so that is extra motivation,” continued Ghisolfi.

“However, we are ready, we too have our identity, are ready to battle, and know that every detail will be important. We saw yesterday in the Champions League that anything can happen.”

It was a disastrous start to the campaign for Roma, but after going through Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Juric, they seem to have found stability with Claudio Ranieri.

“We passed through the storm, we have to admit that, but we worked hard and never gave up. The situation has improved now, we must continue because we’ve achieved nothing yet and want to play these two competitions to 100 per cent of our abilities,” concluded Ghisolfi.

“We are hungry and know what we want.”