Daniele De Rossi's AS Roma will face 2023-24 Bundesliga champions Bayer Leverkusen for the first leg of the Europa League semifinals in Rome. For the second season running the two sides meet at the semifinal stage of the same competition with the newly-crowned Bundesliga champions looking to reverse their narrow exit of 12 months ago. The Italian side held a slender 1-0 lead from the home first leg in 2023, thanks to Edoardo Bove's strike just after the hour, and Jose Mourinho's side then withstood some severe Leverkusen pressure in Germany to secure a goalless draw and qualify for a second European final in as many years. The winner of this tie will face Marseille or Atalanta in the final in Dublin on May 22. Here's what you need to know:
How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, May 2 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Stadio Olimpico -- Rome, Italy
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: AS Roma +250; Draw +155; Bayer Leverkusen +125
How they got here
AS Roma: De Rossi successfully guided last season's runners-up past fellow Italian side AC Milan in the quarterfinals. A 1-0 first-leg win at San Siro was followed by a 2-1 home success despite Roma losing defender Zeki Çelik to a 31st-minute red card as goals from Gianluca Mancini and Paulo Dybala having already extended Roma's advantage in the tie.
Bayer Leverkusen: The German club extended their unbeaten run in all competitions this season to 43 games with a 1-1 draw in the second leg of their quarterfinals with West Ham thanks to Jeremie Frimpong's 89th-minute equalizer. That secured a 3-1 aggregate victory for them as they aim to reach a first final in this competition since winning the 1987-88 UEFA Cup.
Team news
AS Roma: Daniele De Rossi's main doubt is about Romelu Lukaku, who is not at his best condition and it's unlikely he will start on Thursday, with Tammy Abraham expected to make it in the starting lineup alongside Dybala and Stephan El Shaarawy. With Celik suspended, Rick Karsdorp should make the start on the right wing.
Possible AS Roma XI: Svilar; Karsdorp, Mancini, Ndicka, Spinazzola; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Abraham, El Shaarawy.
Bayer Leverkusen: The German side is expected to line up with its ideal starting XI, with Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface leading the attack, and with former AS Roma man Patrick Schick starting on the bench.
Possible Bayer Leverkusen XI: Kovar; Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Adli, Boniface, Wirtz.
Prediction
It will be a close one, considering also the current form of AS Roma, as the two teams settle for a draw. Pick: AS Roma 1, Bayer Leverkusen 1.
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