Thursday’s Europa League action gets underway at De Kuip as Feyenoord and Roma go head-to-head in the first leg of their quarter-final tie. Vengeance will be at the forefront of the Dutch side’s minds following last season’s Europa Conference League heartbreak.
Feyenoord slipped to a 1-0 defeat at non-other than Roma in the inaugural Europa Conference League edition last season. But Arne Slot’s men have an opportunity to quickly avenge that loss and maintain their dream of winning the Europa League for the first time since 2001/02 when they lifted the title under the UEFA Cup format.
It’s been a terrific season for Feyenoord thus far. In addition to reaching the Europa League quarter-finals following an epic 7-1 home win over Shakhtar Donetsk in the return leg of their last-16 tie, they seem to be waltzing away with their first Eredivisie title since 2016/16. An emphatic 5-1 home triumph over RKC Walwijk at the weekend helped them preserve a comfortable eight-point cushion at the top of the table.
Roma enjoyed a decent weekend themselves, capitalizing on their rivals’ misfortunes to climb to third in the Serie A standings. While Milan and Inter dropped points last Friday, Jose Mourinho’s side eked out a 1-0 win at Torino, courtesy of Paulo Dybala’s early penalty, returning to the top four for the first time since January.
From a confidence standpoint, that success in Turin could be the catalyst to consolidate Roma’s spirits amid speculation linking sought-after Mourinho with a summer departure. But the ‘Special One’ might still deliver a parting gift by helping the Giallorossi conquer another European competition. To do that, they first have to overcome this hurdle.
Given Feyenoord’s buoyant mood, that could prove easier said than done.
Match Preview
Feyenoord
Feyenoord already left one Rome-based club behind this season as they finished top of Europa League Group F ahead of Midtjylland, Lazio, and Sturm Graz. Slot’s team claimed a crucial 1-0 home triumph over the Biancocelesti on matchday six to dump them out of the competition and reach the Europa League knockout stages for the first time since 2014/15.
Their road to the quarter-finals has been pure poetry. After a 1-1 first-leg draw in Warsaw, Feyenoord scored seven goals in a European fixture for the first time since 1995 as they thumped Shakhtar to become the Europa League’s highest goalscorers this term. With 25 goals to date, the Dutch giants will fancy their chances of beating Roma for the first time after three failed attempts (D1, L2).
Player to Watch: Santiago Gimenez
Only one goal shy of the Europa League top-scorer’s spot with five strikes, in-demand youngster Santiago Gimenez will be under the spotlight on Thursday. The Mexican starlet already has a host of admirers in Europe, some of which have already dispatched scouts to watch him against Roma.
Roma
After three consecutive games without winning (D1, L2), Roma have won their last two Serie A matches ‘to nil,’ as they seem to be peaking at the perfect moment. Further fanning the flames of belief in another significant triumph is the Italians’ impressive form in the Europa League knockouts, where they’ve already eliminated Real Sociedad and RB Salzburg.
More importantly, they have kept a clean sheet in their last three Europa League outings. Another shutout in Rotterdam would see Roma go four successive European fixtures without conceding for the first time since 2002 while in the Champions League. There’s another reason they’ll need to showcase that defensive resilience on Thursday.
Indeed, Roma have drawn a blank on their last two continental travels after scoring in 24 European away clashes beforehand. Speaking of scoring woes, they’ve bagged an average of only 0.57 goals per game on their last seven road trips in all competitions (W1, D2, L4).
Player to Watch: Paulo Dybala
Dybala has slotted home two penalties against Sampdoria and Torino to paint his long-awaited return from injury with flying colors. The Argentine has been Roma’s headline performer this season. So picking him for our ‘Player to Watch’ section was a no-brainer.
Team News
Feyenoord cannot call upon first-choice goalkeeper Justin Bijlow due to a wrist injury, while Quintent Timber could still make the bench, even though he struggles with a knee injury. Slot will also be without experienced striker Alireza Jahanbakhsh, who hobbled off the training ground in the build-up to this fixture.
As for Roma, Rick Karsdorp is still out with a facial injury. Ola Solbakken joined the Dutchman on the sidelines after suffering a dislocated shoulder against Torino. But those are the only notable absentees in the traveling camp.
Feyenoord vs Roma Potential Lineups
Feyenoord (4-3-3): Timon Wellenreuther; Lutsharel Geertruida, Gernot Trauner, David Hancko, Quilindschy Hartman; Mats Wieffer, Sebastian Szymanski, Orkun Kokcu; Igor Paixao, Santiago Gimenez, Oussama Idrissi.
Roma (3-4-2-1): Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Diego Llorente; Nicola Zalewski, Bryan Cristante, Georginio Wijnaldum, Leonardo Spinazzola; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Paulo Dybala; Tammy Abraham.
Feyenoord vs Roma Prediction
There’s no doubt Mourinho would sign up for a draw in Rotterdam, but Roma will have to roll up their sleeves to return home undefeated. But the Special One is a proven European specialist, and we expect the Giallorossi to fend off their high-flying hosts.
Prediction: Draw
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