Leverkusen vs Roma Europa League semi-final second leg preview: Where to watch, kick-off time, predicted line-ups
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Article summary
When is it? How can you watch it? What are the possible line-ups? All you need to know about the UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg between Leverkusen and Roma.
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Leverkusen and Roma meet in their UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg on Thursday 18 May.
Leverkusen vs Roma at a glance
When: Thursday 18 May (21:00 CET kick-off)
Where: BayArena, Leverkusen
What: UEFA Europa League semi-final second leg (first leg: 0-1)
How to follow: Build-up and live coverage can be found here
Winners are the nominal away team in the final against Sevilla or Juventus in Budapest
Where to watch Leverkusen vs Roma on TV
Fans can find their local UEFA Europa League broadcast partner(s) here.
What do you need to know?
Leverkusen showed in the opening minutes of the first leg that they have enough to worry a Roma side which has emerged victorious from ten of their last 11 UEFA knockout phase ties. However, the Bundesliga outfit may be without Odilon Kossounou and Robert Andrich, who both hobbled off at the Stadio Olimpico, as Xabi Alonso looks to get one over on his old Real Madrid boss José Mourinho.
Roma have a first-leg lead to defend but have not generally enjoyed the most favourable results in Germany of late – including a 3-1 loss to Leverkusen in the group stage of the 2004/05 UEFA Champions League. Their last away success against a Bundesliga outfit came against Hamburg in the 2000/01 UEFA Cup.
Predicted line-ups
Leverkusen: Hradecky; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Palacios, Demirbay, Bakker; Diaby, Wirtz, Adli
Roma: Rui Patrício; Mancini, Cristante, Ibañez; Çelik, Bove, Matić, Spinazzola; Pellegrini, Wijnaldum; Abraham
Form guide
Leverkusen
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DLLDWW
Where they stand: 7th in German Bundesliga
Roma
Form (all competitions, most recent first): DWLDDL
Where they stand: 6th in Italian Serie A
Expert predictions
James Thorogood, Leverkusen reporter
While they felt there was more on offer during the first leg in Rome, the message out of Leverkusen's camp was defiant as they felt that their performance had proven that Mourinho's men were beatable. Alonso's side have gone from a 14-game unbeaten streak to a three-game winless streak, but with a chance to reach a first major European final since 2002 on offer, they'll be hoping to throw the form book out the window on home soil. The key will be injecting more pace into the game to tap into their array of attacking talents.
Francesco Corda, Roma reporter
Buoyed by the first leg win, Roma face Leverkusen determined to repeat their round of 16 second leg performance against Real Sociedad. Mourinho, who rested several players last Sunday, will not risk Chris Smalling and probably Paulo Dybala either, while Georginio Wijnaldum is ready to start. The problem lies in the lack of goals from the strikers, but against Alonso's team for the Giallorossi it will be important above all to get a clean sheet, as they managed at the Stadio Olimpico.
What the coaches say
Xabi Alonso, Leverkusen coach: "We are going to be ready. We have prepared well, the tie is still very open, and our goal is for people to remember tomorrow's game in a few years' time for good reasons. The guys are ready, and hopefully this will be the first of many semi-finals."
José Mourinho, Roma coach: "We want to win this so much for the fans. They are absolutely extraordinary and deserve happiness. But we must play an exceptional match to progress to the final. I don't think about the past, about my old finals, I just think about the present."
Where is the 2023 Europa League final?
Budapest's Puskás Aréna will host the final on 31 May 2023.
The winners gain a place in the 2023/24 UEFA Champions League group stage, if they have not qualified via their domestic competition.