This season has seen the rise of Bayer Leverkusen. Manager Xabi Alonso has led them to win their first-ever Bundesliga glory with five games left to play in this competition.
However, Bayer Leverkusen are on the verge of making another history as they are potentially only 90 minutes away from reaching the UEFA Europa League final. Leverkusen have been tied with AS Roma in the semifinal of this competition. But the Alonso boys successfully passed the first leg, as they defeated AS Roma by a comfortable 2-0 margin at Stadio Olimpico.
The German Champions are fully set to face off against Roma tonight to play the second leg. The 2-0 win has almost secured their place in the final. Unless Roma performs a miracle tonight, Bayer Leverkusen will make their first Europa League final appearance.
But Xabi Alonso doesn’t want to celebrate early. He is very serious about tonight’s game, and he believes Roma has the ability to overturn the result. “Second legs are always dangerous, so the result from last week is irrelevant. A goal from Roma tomorrow can immediately change the game. We need to go into the match with the highest concentration again,” Xabi said in the pre-match press conference.
Stats & Facts
- Leverkusen and AS Roma played seven games against each other in total, and both teams won two matches respectively. The remaining three meetings ended in a draw.
- Roma’s away records against German clubs in European competition are below average. They have failed to win any of their previous away matches against German opponents.
- The last time AS Roma won an away game in Germany was in 2000 when they defeated Hamburger in the UEFA Cup.
- Bayer Leverkusen would reach the Europa League final for the very first time.
- Bayer Leverkusen are the only unbeaten team in the top five leagues so far. Their unbeaten run continues with 48 matches as of now.
Team News
Xabi Alonso rotated his squad during the match against Frankfurt on Sunday. He benched eight players that played against AS Roma in the first leg. However, those players are likely to return to the XI ahead of tonight’s second leg.
As for Roma, Paulo Dybala got a knock during the weekend and departed early in the match against his former club Juventus. However, Roma boss Daniel De Rossi is hopeful to get him tonight. Romelu Lukaku is the key man for Roma, as he has already scored seven goals this season in this competition. Lukaku must step forward to overturn the 2-0 deficit of the first leg.
Possible Lineup for Leverkusen:
Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Schick
Possible Lineup for Roma:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Smalling, Spinazzola; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy
Prediction: Leverkusen 2-1 Roma
It’s been a fairy tale season for Bayer Leverkusen, and they have extended their unbeaten streak to 48 games. This German club showed their strong mentality away from home and secured a dominating 2-0 win against Roma in Italy.
It will be really difficult for Roma to beat this Leverkusen at their own home ground!
Betfair Odds
Leverkusen: 1.51
Draw: 4.60
AS Roma: 5.96
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