Feyenoord and Roma lock will lock horns in the quarter-finals of the Europa League on Thursday.
The tie is a replay of last year’s Europa Conference League final, where the Italians had the last laugh.
The Giallorossi have shown great progress under Jose Mourinho this season, proving themselves as top-four contenders in Serie A.
They have been far more impressive in Europa League, defeating RB Salzburg and Real Sociedad comprehensively en route to the quarter-finals.
Feyenoord have also proved to be a force to be reckoned with this season after their excellent performances in the Eredivisie and continental competition.
Match Preview
Feyenoord are on a mission this season after overthrowing perennial champions Ajax to claim top spot in the Eredivisie.
While they are running away with their first league title since 2016/17, Feyenoord are also looking to have a crack at the Europa League title.
After hammering Shakhtar Donetsk in the round of 16 by an 8-2 aggregate, Arne Slot’s men are now hoping to exact revenge against Roma.
Feyenoord recovered from their KNVB Cup semi-final setback against Ajax with a thumping win over RKC Waalwijk last weekend.
In a squad replete with top-class talents, few have been as impactful as Santiago Gimenez, who has hit the ground running in his debut season in the Netherlands.
The second top scorer in the Europa League (five goals), the Mexican striker has played a pivotal role in Feyenoord reaching the quarter-finals.
The 21-year-old is also on a red-hot streak, having found the net in six consecutive games. He will be looking to add Roma as his next victims.
Following their derby loss against Lazio, Roma have fought back well to pick up back-to-back victories against Sampdoria and Torino to move up to third in the Serie A rankings.
They will look to carry on the momentum when they travel to Feyenoord on Thursday for a tough fixture.
Expectations will be huge for Paulo Dybala, who has been at the heart of Roma’s success this season.
The Argentine World Cup winner will be eager to step up once again and come up with the goods against the Dutch giants.
Team News
Timon Wellenreuther will continue to be the man between the sticks for Feyenoord in the absence of injured first-choice goalkeeper Justin Bijlow. Alireza Jahanbakhsh is also doubtful.
Tammy Abraham should make his way into Roma’s starting eleven in place of Ola Solbakken, who dislocated his shoulder in the weekend game against Torino.
Feyenoord potential starting XI
Timon Wellenreuther; Lutsharel Geertruida, Gernot Trauner, David Hancko, Quilindschy Hartman; Mats Wieffer, Sebastian Szymanski, Orkun Kokcu; Igor Paixao, Santiago Gimenez, Ousamma Idrissi.
AS Roma potential starting XI
Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Diego Llorente; Nicolo Zalewski, Bryan Cristante, Georginio Wijnaldum, Leonardo Spinazzola; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Paulo Dybala; Tammy Abraham.
We Say: Feyenoord 2-0 Roma
Current form suggests that a neck-and-neck clash is on the cards. Feyenoord may sneak a win and settle the scores for the Conference League setback last year.
