Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen – Europa League Match Preview

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·2 de mayo de 2024

Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen – Europa League Match Preview

Roma take on Bayer Leverkusen in the Europa League semi-finals this evening, as last season’s runners-up look to reach a European final for the third consecutive campaign.

Daniele De Rossi’s side face a formidable challenge, however, against a Leverkusen team crowned German champions for the first time in their history this season.

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Here’s everything you need to know about the clash.

Form

Roma: WWLWD

Roma’s revival under Daniele de Rossi has seen the capital club storm back into Champions League contention in Serie A, after a poor start to the season under Jose Mourinho. De Rossi has lost just two of his 14 league games in charge, while the club great has guided Roma into the last four of the Europa League.

Europa Conference League winners in 2021/22 and Europa League runners-up last season, it continues a fine recent record in continental competition for I Giallorossi. Roma beat AC Milan over two legs in an all-Italian contest in the quarter-finals and warmed up for this weekend’s showdown with Leverkusen with a 2-2 draw against Napoli.

The wait is almost over… ⏳ Together as one at the Olimpico! 🟡🔴 #ASRoma | #RomaBayer | #UEL
– jueves, 2 de mayo de 2024

Tammy Abraham scored his first goal since a long-term lay-off with a late equaliser and adds to Roma’s attacking options alongside Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku.

The latter has continued his remarkable record in this competition with seven goals in 11 games this season. Only Marseille’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10) has scored more in the Europa League in 2023/24.

Bayer Leverkusen: WWDDD

Bayer Leverkusen just don’t know when they’re beaten this season and dramatic late goals against West Ham, Borussia Dortmund and Stuttgart have preserved their stunning unbeaten run.

Xabi Alonso’s side are now without defeat in all 47 games across all competitions so far this season, an astonishing achievement that has led to the club’s first-ever Bundesliga crown. Having wrapped up the first title in their 120-year history with five games to spare, Leverkusen have now set their sights on a treble.

When in Rome. 📍🇮🇹 #Bayer04 | #aCROSSeurope #UEL
– jueves, 2 de mayo de 2024

Second-tier Kaiserslautern awaits in the DFB-Pokal final later this month, after a two-legged European semi-final with Roma. If Leverkusen can go another seven games without defeat, the club can secure a treble without losing a single game.

Last Meeting

AS Roma 3-2 Bayer Leverkusen, Champions League group stage, 04/11/2015

Neutrals will hope for a repeat of the last meetings between these teams when the sides shared a staggering 13 goals across two games in the 2015/16 Champions League. After a 4-4 draw at the BayArena that saw Leverkusen fight from two goals down to rescue a draw, Roma edged another entertaining affair in the Italian capital.

Mohamed Salah opened the scoring for Roma inside two minutes, who were in control at half-time when Edin Dzeko doubled the advantage. Leverkusen came out fighting after the break and Admir Mehmedi halved the deficit in the opening seconds of the second half before Javier Hernandez got the Germans on terms six minutes later.

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The game swung when Ömer Toprak conceded a penalty and was sent off for Leverkusen, with Miralem Pjanic keeping his cool from the spot to earn Roma their first win, at the fourth attempt, of the Champions League campaign.