The Europa League group stage gets underway on Thursday and it’s Sheriff Tiraspol vs Roma in Group G action from Stadionul Sheriff. The hosts are playing in the Europa League for the third straight season, whilst the Giallorossi reached the final last year but were defeated on penalties by Sevilla.
Jose Mourinho will not be able to attend the match since he is suspended for three games by UEFA after his outbursts in the final last season. If you can’t remember what happened, let’s just say it was a fiery affair between the two clubs, especially down on the touchline.
Sheriff failed to get past Israeli outfit Maccabi Haifa in the second qualifying round of the Champions League and so dropped into the Europa League qualifiers instead. They defeated BATE Borisov and Faroese side KÍ to qualify for the group stage.
Sheriff Tiraspol Preview
Yellow-Blacks head coach Roberto Bordin believes that Roma are favorites to win Group G and that the Giallorossi will be aiming to reach the final once again this season. He is also prepared for a more offensive Roma side, despite Mourinho’s teams typically being defensive minded. The visitors displayed their offensive abilities in their 7-0 mauling of Empoli over the weekend.
The hosts know they cannot sit back and invite too much pressure, though, since the quality of Roma will be able to penetrate through their defense. Instead, they must play with a good intensity and play on the front foot in order to get something out of the match. Nevertheless, Bordin has highlighted the need stay defensively sound and cut out their passing lanes.
After securing qualification into the Europa League group stage, Sheriff went on a two-week break from competitive action, tied in with the recent international break. However, they should feel that they are in good shape ahead of the match since they defeated Floresti 5-1 in the Moldovan Premier League last Saturday.
One To Watch: Luvannor Henrique
The 33-year-old forward is Sheriff’s top league goalscorer so far this term with three goals in five games. He also has four goal contributions in seven European appearances this season. Luvannor has scored in back-to-back games for Sheriff heading into this one so is in good form too.
Roma Preview
After a torrid start to the new season for Roma, they got things back on track with an emphatic 7-0 triumph at home to Empoli on Sunday. A brace from Paulo Dybala and goals from Renato Sanches, Bryan Cristante, Romelu Lukaku, Gianluca Mancini and an own goal by Alberto Grassi ensured the vehement victory at Stadio Olimpico.
The Giallorossi will be out for revenge after their defeat in the Europa League final less than four months ago. In what was a scrappy encounter against perennial champions Sevilla in Budapest, the two sides couldn’t be separated after extra time. It was heartbreak for Mourinho’s men in the shootout as the Spanish outfit secured their record seventh Europa League trophy.
The away side are favorites to triumph in their group opener here against Sheriff but Roma have been far from perfect to start their Serie A campaign. They failed to win any of their opening three games to start to the season, drawing 2-2 at home to Salernitana before losing 2-1 away to Verona and 2-1 at the Olimpico to Milan. Nevertheless, Roma’s 7-0 victory at the weekend will give them a much-needed confidence boost.
One To Watch: Paulo Dybala
Mourinho may opt to rest his key player for this one since Dybala has only just returned to injury and continues to deal with issues. Nonetheless, he is fundamental to Roma success and his two goals in his return at the weekend prove that. The Argentina international made 18 goal contributions in just 25 league appearances last term, also supplying six in Europe.
Head-to-Head
The two sides are yet to meet throughout their history so there is no head-to-head data.
Sheriff Tiraspol vs Roma Potential Lineups & Team News
Sheriff Tiraspol (4-1-4-1): Maksym Koval; Armel Zohouri, Munashe Garananga, Cristian Tovar, Alejandro Artunduaga; Peter Ademo; Jerome Ngom Mbekeli, Amine Talal, Berkay Vardar, Ricardinho; Luvannor Henrique
Head coach Bordin may opt for a slightly more structured formation against Roma here but the likes of Amine Talal and Luvannor have the ability to cause the Roma defense issues. Talal has scored three goals in his last four appearances for Sheriff and netted three times in Champions League qualifiers during the summer.
Roma (3-5-2): Mile Svilar; Gianluca Mancini, Evan Ndicka, Diego Llorente; Rick Karsdorp, Houssem Aouar, Edoardo Bove, Leandro Paredes, Stephan El Shaarawy; Romelu Lukaku, Paulo Dybala
Lorenzo Pellegrini and Chris Smalling have been absent from Roma training of late and so they are in doubt for the match here and are unlikely to feature. Tammy Abraham and Marash Kumbulla remain out as they continue to recover from long-term injury. Rasmus Kristensen and Sardar Azmoun will not be able to play since they haven’t been registered. Mourinho may also opt to drop Rui Patricio to the bench, with Mile Svilar coming into the side.
However, Houssem Aouar is expected to return after missing the Empoli fixture last time out. Leandro Paredes could start but Sanches and Edoardo Bove are also options for Mourinho, with Cristante set to begin on the bench. Evan Ndicka is expected to keep his spot in the side due to the absence of Smalling, whilst Andrea Belotti looks set to start on the bench in favor of Lukaku.
Sheriff Tiraspol vs Roma Prediction
Mourinho may choose to leave a few of his key players on the bench but they should still have too much quality for Sheriff. The hosts should give them a good game on their own turf but Roma are expected to win the match, especially after their victory over the weekend.
Sheriff Tiraspol 0-2 Roma