Tag: Knockout

There’s no question that the season has been a disappointment for the Giallorossi. Champions League football via the league route appears to be out of reach, and even a return to Europa League football looks to be a tall task, with Roma currently sitting in ninth place through 22 match weeks. It’s not impossible, but it will take plenty of positive results to leapfrog enough teams to secure European football for next season.

However, as bad as this season has been and as disappointing as the final league place has been for Roma over the last few seasons, there has been a silver lining. The Giallorossi have made four consecutive European semifinals, including the 2022 Conference League title and a trip to the 2023 Europa League finale. And now, the Europa League again gives the Giallorossi the chance to redeem an otherwise disappointing season. However, a loss to Frankfurt could result in Roma being eliminated in the group stage of a European competition for the first time since the 2014/15 Champions League—something that has never occurred for the club in this competition.

The task won’t be easy as a strong Eintracht Frankfurt team arrives at the Stadio Olimpico. Historically, German teams haven’t been kind to the Giallorossi, who have won just three of their last 14 matches against Bundesliga sides (D5, L6). However, home advantage has been crucial for Roma, with the Giallorossi winning 33 of their last 45 European home matches (D9, L3)—keeping a clean sheet in 24 of those games. Something has to give in this situation, so let’s examine some key points for the match.

What To Watch For

Will the Roma Continue Its Steady Improvement?

Photo by Luciano Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images

After an atrocious start to the season and the firings of two managers, Claudio Ranieri was brought back to the Italian capital to steady a sinking ship. The first few weeks saw Ranieri deal with rough results, including a draw against Tottenham between losses to Serie A powers Napoli and Atalanta. However, Roma has since racked up seven wins, two draws, and just two losses in all competitions.

It’s a stretch that has seen Roma fight for every point, often salvaging results from behind, as we saw against Udinese on Sunday. The Giallorossi will be eager to bounce back from one of the few blemishes in that stretch—a 1-0 loss to AZ Alkmaar last Thursday in the penultimate Europa League match. That defeat put Roma in its current win-or-go-home predicament.

The Giallorossi must be at their best to take all three points from an Eintracht Frankfurt side that sits second in the Europa League and third in the Bundesliga tables. And results against those top sides have been difficult for Roma this season—something that Claudio Ranieri was asked about at the pre-match press conference.

“There’s always room for improvement. When you’re facing big teams, in terms of your approach, how you play in the final third, and how you play in the middle of the pitch, you have to do really well to contain them and cause them problems. The lads are improving. Cast your minds back to when I started out here and I was surprised when we didn’t play as I hoped in Naples. We’ve managed to do that from the Atalanta game onwards – we’re on the up. Every day I see that the team working to improve. As a coach, this is the best thing to witness.”

Now, it’ll be up to the players to follow up on Ranieri’s words and show that they’ve taken the next step in their overall improvement. It’ll be crucial for Frankfurt to be followed in the league by Napoli and Milan.

How Will the Giallorossi Line Up?

Photo by Fabio Rossi/AS Roma via Getty Images

On Sunday against Udinese, Claudio Ranieri elected to rest key players Leandro Paredes, Alexis Saelemaekers, Mats Hummels, and Paulo Dybala. Only Dybala played a small role off the bench. That move was made with an eye on this fixture, given its importance, with the Giallorossi yet to secure a place in the knockout rounds—something Ranieri tried to downplay.

“Every game is important, as it’s a chance for the team to improve. When I came into the club everyone was worried about what might happen to Roma. Now we’ve just got to do well in every game, and we’ll see where that gets us.”

All four players are expected to return to the starting lineup for this pivotal match against Frankfurt. It seems that even with Bryan Cristante fit again, Ranieri will stick with the Paredes-Koné duo that has become a staple during Cristante’s absence—something that Ranieri acknowledged.

“All of the rumours I hear about Leandro emanate from you journalists – I haven’t heard them from him. As for Hermoso, if he doesn’t want to stay then I won’t keep him or anyone else who’d rather leave. Cristante has found his feet again. He’s got different characteristics, but he could play that role. He doesn’t possess the directness that Paredes has, but he’s got other qualities. They could play together and complement each other – I’d be happy with that. I knew that in Udine I was sacrificing quality, but it’s something I absolutely had to do. I was convinced by my choices and that those players would put in good performances.”

With the midfield more or less confirmed, we should see a repeated of Ranieri’s preferred starting lineup from the past several weeks.

ROMA (3-4-2-1): Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, Ndicka; Saelemaekers, Paredes, Koné, Angeliño; Dybala, Pellegrini; Dovbyk.