Roma vs Bologna – News and Probable Lineups

The upcoming contest between Roma and Bologna will determine the fate of their all-Italian Europa League matchup on Thursday, following a closely contested first leg.

The sides are battling for a place in the quarter-finals, where either Lille or Aston Villa awaits, after starting the round with a tight 1-1 stalemate.

Match overview

By the end of Thursday, just one Italian club will remain in the Europa League, as these two Serie A teams face each other.

Roma managed to come back after trailing in the initial leg at Stadio Dall’Ara, where Lorenzo Pellegrini equalized following Federico Bernardeschi’s outstanding opening goal, with both teams hitting the crossbar.

While Roma often found themselves on the back foot during the fixture in Bologna, their European campaign has progressed smoothly thus far, as they avoided a potentially tricky playoff spot by finishing eighth in the group stage.

Having been runners-up in UEFA’s second-tier tournament in 1991 and 2023, they also claimed the first-ever Conference League trophy in 2022 under head coach Jose Mourinho.

Additionally, Roma now have a manager with previous Europa League success, as Gian Piero Gasperini famously led Atalanta to victory less than two years ago.

However, their track record against domestic rivals in European competitions has been inconsistent, having lost to Inter in the UEFA Cup final, exited in the 2014-15 Europa League to Fiorentina, and knocking AC Milan out in the 2024 edition.

Before this all-Italian showdown concludes, the capital club has hit a rough patch in Serie A, losing their hold on a Champions League qualifying position.

After squandering a two-goal lead to draw with top-four contenders Juventus, Gasperini’s side fell again with a defeat in Genoa, and they left Como empty-handed on Sunday.

Although Donyell Malen kept up his scoring run with an early penalty, Wesley was sent off, leading to a 2-1 loss that allowed their opponents to take a three-point lead and move into fourth place.

In contrast, Bologna saw some success in Serie A last weekend, when a challenging encounter against local rivals Sassuolo was settled by Thijs Dallinga’s composed goal in the sixth minute.

This victory lifted them to eighth place, but their league season has been a rocky road since derailing in November: the Rossoblu have already suffered 11 league defeats, which is three more than they accumulated throughout the entire previous season.

After a rough mid-winter period, Vincenzo Italiano’s squad managed to put together five consecutive wins across all competitions before stumbling again, and such inconsistency must be concerning for the former Fiorentina manager.

Having come close in the Conference League and Coppa Italia during his time at Fiorentina, his current squad had a memorable cup run last term and participated in the Champions League, yet they are now finding it difficult to secure a third consecutive European season.

Trailing behind sixth-placed Roma by nine points, their aspirations of returning to European competition likely hinge on winning the Europa League.

While this may seem ambitious, they have proven difficult to defeat thus far: including last week’s first leg, Bologna is on an impressive streak of 10 unbeaten European matches, surpassing their previous nine-game run from the mid-1960s.

Moreover, they have secured two victories in their last three contests against Roma at Stadio Olimpico; although they experienced a 1-0 loss there in August, it represents their only defeat in the past seven encounters, whether at home or away.

Team News

Roma is set to welcome back key defender Gianluca Mancini, who missed the first leg due to suspension, while Evan Ndicka also returns after his absence in the league defeat on Sunday; Wesley’s upcoming suspension only affects Serie A matches.

However, Gasperini will still be without several players due to injuries: Paulo Dybala (knee), Artem Dovbyk (thigh), and Evan Ferguson (ankle) are all unavailable.

Matias Soule is dealing with a muscular issue, whereas Zeki Celik has reported a minor calf problem and had to be substituted during the match against Como.

Due to limited attacking options, Malen is likely to be called upon to start again: within just two months of arriving, the Dutch forward is already Roma’s top scorer in the league.

Meanwhile, Bologna can reinstate club captain Lewis Ferguson, who served a domestic suspension last Sunday, although first-choice left-back Juan Miranda must now face a one-match UEFA suspension.

Former Roma goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski sustained a hamstring injury against Sassuolo, meaning Federico Ravaglia, who regularly competes in the cup, may take his place.

Having excelled in the first leg by completing 10 dribbles for the first time in Europe during his 59th continental appearance, Bernardeschi is expected to beat strong competition for a starting place.

Riccardo Orsolini, Nicolo Cambiahi, Jonathan Rowe, and Benjamin Domiguez are also contenders to provide support to either Dallinga or Santiago Castro in attack.

Roma probable starting XI:

Unfold; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Pisilli, Pellegrini; Malen

Bologna probable starting XI:

Ravaglia; Zortea, Lucumi, Vitik, Lykogiannis; Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega; Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe

After experiencing two defeats and a draw from three consecutive away games, Roma will return to the Olimpico, where they typically elevate their performance in front of a supportive home crowd.

Although Bologna performed better in the initial leg, their hosts possess considerable recent experience in European knockout matches and are expected to narrowly secure the win.