Our next opponents: Roma back to their best under De Rossi

Position

Like the Werkself did at the weekend, Roma also salvaged a 2-2 draw late on in their game away at defending champions Napoli on Sunday. Tammy Abraham struck in the 88th minute for the fifth-placed Giallorossi. It was the end of a busy week for the capital club, which saw a 3-1 home loss to Bologna before an away game at Udinese on Thursday to play the final 18 minutes of their previously abandoned fixture. The original game had been stopped with the score at 1-1 in the 72nd minute 11 days earlier after defender Evan Ndicka collapsed on the pitch and was taken to hospital. Fortunately, concerns about a heart issue were not confirmed. The former Eintracht Frankfurt centre-back was back in training a few days later and started in Naples at the weekend. A Bryan Cristante header in the fifth minute of added time earned Roma a 2-1 win in Udine, before Paulo Dybala put them ahead from the penalty spot against Napoli. The hosts then turned the game around before Abraham’s late leveller. The draw kept the Rome club in fifth place in Serie A, where Inter Milan were crowned champions last week.

Things have been on the up for Roma since Daniele De Rossi took over from Jose Mourinho in January. They have earned 30 points from 14 league games (W9, D3, L2) under the former player, climbing from ninth in the table to fifth, which will be enough for UEFA Champions League qualification in Italy this year. The Giallorossi finished their Europa League group second behind Slavia Prague before a shootout victory over Feyenoord in the play-off after two 1-1 draws. They claimed a 4-1 aggregate win over Brighton & Hove Albion in the round of 16 before two victories over league rivals AC Milan in the quarters. Gianluca Mancini game the Romans a 1-0 win at the San Siro. He and Dybala then ensured a 2-1 success back home as Roma reached the semi-finals of a European competition for the fourth year in a row. As we remember, they knocked out the Werkself at this stage last season 1-0 on aggregate.

Personnel

The face of his Roma team is their coach and former legendary player De Rossi. The Rome native spent more than 17 years at the club as a player, making 614 competitive appearances and twice lifting the Coppa Italia. “I can find my way to the training pitch with my eyes closed and am property of the Roma fans,” said the 40-year-old of his special relationship to “his” club. The former midfielder won 117 caps for Italy and was part of the squad that won the 2006 World Cup in Germany. As a coach, he worked under Roberto Mancini as Italy won the Euros in 2021. Prior to taking over at the Stadio Olimpico, De Rossi worked for half a year at second-tier SPAL.

One of his first changes upon taking over was to replace Rui Patricio in goal with Mile Svilar, who was impressive in the weekend’s draw against Napoli. De Rossi’s tactical preference is a contrast from Mourinho’s back three, instead opting for a 4-3-3 formation. However, he will have to make changes at the back for the first leg, with right-back Zeki Celik suspended after his red card in the second leg against Milan. One option there is Denmark international Rasmus Kristensen. Ndicka and Mancini are the first-choice centre-backs. Chris Smalling is likely to miss out again with a groin issue.

Some of the other key players are Leonardo Spinazzola at left-back, captain and set-piece specialist Lorenzo Pellegrini, youth product Edoardo Bove, who scored the decisive goal against Leverkusen last year, as well as Leandro Paredes and Cristante. Roma are very well equipped in attack as well with Romelu Lukaku and Dybala, as well as Bayer 04 loanee Sardar Azmoun. The Iranian has made 20 appearances in Serie A, scoring three goals. He’s also featured twice in the Europa League. De Rossi can also call upon Abraham again after his long-standing knee injury. Andrea Belotti left the club for Fiorentina in the winter.

Performers

Roma boast the third-best attack in Italy with 61 goals, behind champions Inter (81) and Milan (64). Their top scorer is Argentina international Dybala with 13, while Lukaku is just behind on 11 league goals. The Belgian has also enjoyed a good continental campaign with seven strikes in the Europa League, which ranks him second in the competition behind Marseille’s Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang (10). Lukaku, who is on loan from Chelsea, also boasts 22 goals in 20 Europa League outings since November 2014, but has missed the last three league fixtures with a muscular issue. He is expected to return in time for Thursday, though. Roma are also tough to beat at home, with just one loss in their last 25 Europa League fixtures at the Stadio Olimpico (W19, D5), and 10 wins in the last 11 (D1).

Problems

While the Giallorossi had the fourth-best defence in Serie A last season, they have struggled to keep things tight this term, ranking 10th in the division in 2023/24 with 41 conceded from 34 games.

Prediction

Last year’s semi-final first leg between Roma and Leverkusen was defined by two good defences. Bove’s single goal ultimately proved enough to reach the final, with the return fixture at the BayArena ending 0-0. There’s great respect for the opposition once again, with Abraham – who set up Bove’s goal – saying ahead of this latest encounter with the unbeaten Werkself: “We’re a team that loves challenges and would love to be the team to end their run. But we need to be respectful. They’re a good team who’ve shown amazing performances this season.”

That’s why De Rossi is calling for the utmost attention from his side in defence: “We need to be very careful because they have very good players and lots of dangerous strikers.” The coach also believes that “when you take the ball off them, they get nervous, lose their balance and shape. They’re unbeaten, but there’s no such thing as invincibility.” There’s no doubt that the Werkself will need to put in a hard shift once again in the Eternal City.