German team Bayer Leverkusen have already created history as they have won their first-ever league title this season under Xabi Alonso. This season has been a fairytale for Leverkusen, with Xabi Alonso making everything possible which seemed impossible initially.
Bayer Leverkusen is the only team in Europe that has not suffered a defeat this season yet. After winning the Bundesliga, ending Bayern Munich’s 12th successive title-winning run, they have another great chance to win their first-ever UEFA Europa League glory. Leverkusen’s winning triumph continues in the Europa League as well, and they will face off against AS Roma tonight in the semifinal tie away from home. They are desperate to win the Europa League, but Xabi Alonso knows Roma will try everything to eliminate Leverkusen.
“The desire and hunger to reach the final are absolutely there. It’s a second chance for us after last year, even though we know it’ll be difficult. Roma have shown their quality often enough in the Europa League this season. There’s also the spectacular atmosphere in the stadium here,” Alonso said in the pre-match press conference.
Stats & Facts
- Bayer Leverkusen and AS Roma met exactly the same fixture last season in the semifinal. Roma beat Leverkusen on a 1-0 aggregate to reach the final, although they lost the final against Sevilla.
- Leverkusen have won only one match against Roma, which came in the Champions League group stage in the 2004-2005 season. Since then, the German club have not won any of their last five meetings with Roma.
- AS Roma have won two and tied three matches in their last five meetings with Bayer Leverkusen across all competitions.
- This is AS Roma’s fourth consecutive semifinal appearance in European competitions.
Team News
Roma will miss the service of their right-back Zeki Celik due to a suspension, but Bryan Cristante is back from a one-game ban. Both Diego Llorente and Leandro Paredes served a suspension in Serie A, but they are eligible to play tonight against Bayer Leverkusen.
Romelu Lukaku has scored seven goals this season in the Europa League but missed the match against Napoli due to an injury. However, he has recovered and should be available for tonight’s clash.
As for Bayer Leverkusen, Granit Xhaka has been their midfield maestro this season. Although he missed Leverkusen’s last match due to a suspension, the former Arsenal man is eligible to play tonight against Roma. But Adam Hlozek and Borja Iglesias are uncertain ahead of the match, and the rest of the players are fully fit to fight against Roma.
Possible Lineup for AS Roma:
Svilar; Karsdorp, Mancini, Ndicka, Angelino; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy
Possible Lineup for Bayer Leverkusen:
Hradecky; Kossounou, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Palacios, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Schick
Prediction: AS Roma 2-2 Leverkusen
Levekusen was never a favorite against AS Roma in the past, but the times have changed this season. This German team has the ability to beat anyone at this moment. Although Roma are the home side, it will be very difficult for the Italian side to beat the German Champions. But Roma have some quality players who are in a good rhythm in this competition. Therefore, we expect a draw between the two sides after an intense clash.
Betfair Odds
AS Roma: 3.48
Draw: 3.46
Leverkusen: 2.13
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