Preview: Bologna vs Roma – prediction, team news, lineups

Commencing a battle to be the final Italian team standing on this season’s Europa League, Bologna and Roma will conflict at Stadio Dall’Ara on Thursday. 

The Serie A pair should beat acquainted foes of their final-16 tie, with 1 / 4-last in opposition to both Lille or Aston Villa finally at stake.

Match preview

Having progressed from their first UEFA knockout tie for 26 years – beating SK Brann 1-0 in each legs of a playoff – Bologna at the moment are aiming to experience that momentum and attain the Europa League’s latter phases.

Since shedding at Villa Park on the opening matchday, the Emilian membership have misplaced none of their subsequent 9 fixtures within the present marketing campaign, thereby matching their all-time finest unbeaten sequence in Europe.

Just avoiding defeat on Thursday night would see them surpass a streak set manner again in 1967, however coach Vincenzo Italiano will purpose to take a primary-leg lead right down to Rome.

A tenth-positioned end within the league section might have meant they needed to take the playoff route, however Bologna are nonetheless firmly within the hunt for extra silverware.

Last time period, the Rossoblu adopted their Champions League debut by ending a 51-12 months wait to raise the Coppa Italia; nevertheless, this season has not fairly delivered the identical highs.

Italiano and co endured a dramatic mid-winter downturn, wherein they struggled to select up factors and have been knocked out of the cup, however there have since been indicators of restoration.

Despite inching again as much as eighth place in Serie A, they nonetheless path their subsequent guests by 12 factors, and any hopes of returning to Europe absolutely relaxation on profitable the Europa League.

When the perimeters met at Stadio Olimpico earlier this season, Roma received 1-0; however earlier than the groups reconvene in Emilia-Romagna, that’s Bologna’s lone loss throughout the final six conferences. 

© Imago / Giuseppe Maffia

Both groups endured defeat in opposition to relegation-threatened opponents on the weekend, with Bologna shedding 2-1 to Hellas Verona and Roma being overwhelmed by the identical scoreline in Genoa.

Roman legend Daniele De Rossi was the architect of his beloved membership’s downfall, as his Genoa facet served one other blow to the Giallorossi’s desires of Champions League qualification.

One week on from spilling a two-aim lead in opposition to high-4 rivals Juventus, Gian Piero Gasperini‘s males slipped up once more, so that they face an enormous conflict with fifth-positioned Como this Sunday.

First, they need to resume a continental marketing campaign that has proceeded fairly easily to this point: a last matchday level at Panathinaikos was sufficient to see them straight by means of by ending eighth within the league section.

Twice runners-up in UEFA’s second-tier match – in 1991 and 2023 – Roma additionally boast a coach with current expertise of Europa League success, as Gasperini lifted the trophy with Atalanta lower than two years in the past. 

Furthermore, the capital membership have received the primary leg of their final six European final-16 ties, though they have been nonetheless eradicated final 12 months regardless of beating Athletic Bilbao 2-1 in Rome.

Against fellow Italian groups, their report is extra combined: shedding the UEFA Cup last over two legs to Inter Milan, then exiting to Fiorentina within the 2014-15 Europa League, earlier than eliminating AC Milan from the identical competitors 9 years later.

Bologna Europa League kind:

W W D W W W

Bologna kind (all competitions):

W W W W W L

Roma Europa League kind:

L W W W W D

Roma kind (all competitions):

L W D W D L

Team News

© Imago / Gribaudi

Bologna boss Italiano can recall defensive duo Torbjorn Heggem and Juan Miranda, each of whom have resumed full coaching and could possibly be named on the bench.

Furthermore, skilled midfielder Remo Freuler is obtainable after serving a home suspension; he might companion Nikola Moro, who ranks second on this season’s Europa League for probabilities created (21) and passes within the last third (142).

Santiago Castro and Riccardo Orsolini are Bologna’s joint-high league scorers with seven Serie A objectives apiece, however the latter has gone off the boil in current weeks. 

As a end result, Federico Bernardeschi, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Jonathan Rowe and Benjamin Domiguez are all in rivalry to begin on both wing, supporting Castro or Thijs Dallinga up entrance.

Meanwhile, Roma stay wanting attacking choices, as Paulo Dybala has been sidelined by a knee harm, Artem Dovbyk (thigh) continues to be unavailable, and Evan Ferguson has seen his marketing campaign ended by an ankle downside.

In their absence, Donyell Malen will lead the Giallorossi’s assault: inside a number of weeks of his arrival, the Dutch ahead has already joined Matias Soule as their main league scorer on six objectives and was not too long ago named ‘Serie A Player of the Month’.

While Wesley – who scored the winner in opposition to Bologna in August – is now again from a one-match ban, Italy defender Gianluca Mancini should sit out the primary leg as a result of suspension.

Bologna potential beginning lineup:

Skorupski; Zortea, Lucumi, Vitik, Mario; Ferguson, Freuler, Moro; Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe

Roma potential beginning lineup:

Svilar; Ziolkowski, Ndicka, Ghilardi; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Pisilli, Zaragoza; Malen

We say: Bologna 1-1 Roma

Roma have received 4 of their final 5 video games in Europe and have the Gasperini issue, however Bologna had received 5 on the spin throughout all competitions earlier than faltering final weekend.

While the Rossoblu have a really modest house report, Italiano additionally has continental pedigree – having reached a Conference League last with Fiorentina – so his team can keep on stage phrases forward of subsequent week’s second leg.

For knowledge evaluation of the probably outcomes, scorelines and extra for this match please click here.