AS Roma and Bayer 04 have played each other four times in Europe to date with a win for each team plus two draws. Both teams have scored at least one goal in every game. A total of 19 goals with an average of 4.8 per match. The Werkself last met AS Roma in November 2015 in a 3-2 defeat in the Champions League group stage.
The two head coaches of the semi-finalists share a common past: Bayer 04 coach Xabi Alonso was at Real Madrid from 2010 to 2013 under AS Roma’s current coach José Mourinho. During that period, Alonso made 151 appearances for Real Madrid and was the winner 108 times. No other Real Madrid player other than Cristiano Ronaldo (14,140 minutes) played more under Mourinho than Alonso (12,548).
Anyone unable to be at the game today: RTL are broadcasting the match in Germany on free TV with the programme beginning at 20.15 CEST. As usual, Werkself Radio is also available. The audio broadcast starts 30 minutes before kick-off with commentary provided by Cedric Pick and Niko Hartmann. You can also keep up-to-date via live text commentary to ensure you don’t miss any of the action. Both Werkself Radio and the live text update service are available at bayer04.de and on the Bayer 04 app.
UEFA has appointed Michael Oliver as the match referee. The 38-year-old Englishman has previously been in charge of three games involving the Werkself with the Black and Reds winning all three: 1-0 at Rosenborg BK (Europa League 2012/13), 2-0 at Lokomotiv Moscow (Champions League 2019/20) and 2-0 against Atlético Madrid (Champions League 2022/23). He is assisted by his fellow countrymen Stuart Burt and Lee Betts, with Stuart Attwell– also from England – in action as the VAR official.
Like Bayer 04, AS Roma did not do well in their last match before the semi-final first leg. The Giallorossi lost 2-0 to Inter Milan at the weekend with goals scored by Federico Dimarco and Romelu Lukaku. It was a defeat that represents a severe setback in the race for a Champions League finish in Serie A for the team under coach José Mourinho. Nevertheless, the cult manager did not want to criticise his players. On the contrary, at the post-match press conference Mourinho said: “I’m incredibly proud of my lads. We played against the strongest team in Italy today, against a team who are in the semi-finals of the Champions League. It’s great to see that we weren’t inferior to Inter. The score was 2-0 because they didn’t miss anything in front of goal but we did. But we carry out on, it’s not over yet.” The info on personnel, performers and problems for AS Roma can be found in our lowdown on the next opponents.
Bayer 04 Leverkusen have signed France U17 international Kenan Doganay. The 1.90-metre-tall defensive midfielder, who has Turkish roots, joins Leverkusen from the U19s at French top-flight club Olympique Lyon. He will initially train with and play for the U19 team.
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The Sports Tribunal of the German Football Association (DFB) has fined Bayer 04 Leverkusen €185,000 for spectators setting off pyrotechnic devices during a total of five competitive matches. This relates to four Bundesliga matches and the DFB Pokal semi-final against Bayern Munich. The highest individual fine relates to the away match at FC Köln at the end of April.
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Bayer 04 Leverkusen have extended the contract with U19 goalkeeper Simeon Rapsch. The Germany youth international goalkeeper has signed a long-term contract with the Werkself running to 30 June 2029. The 18-year-old joined Leverkusen from FC Viktoria Köln in the summer of 2024.
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Ken Izekor is leaving Bayer 04 Leverkusen to join third-tier side Alemannia Aachen with immediate effect. The 19-year-old centre-forward joined the club from Alemannia in 2018, and Izekor is now returning to his hometown.
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