Overview
Roma and Bologna will enter the second leg with the goal of surviving in the Europa League, in the context that Serie A will certainly only have one representative left after this internal match.
The first leg at Dall'Ara closed in a draw, when Lorenzo Pellegrini equalized for Roma after Federico Bernardeschi's opening super product. The game was balanced, both teams had clear chances, even the ball found the goalpost on both sides.
Despite often encountering difficulties when playing away at Bologna, Roma's European journey this season is generally quite stable. Finishing in the top 8 of the group stage helps them avoid risky play-offs. The capital team also has a significant experience with two Europa League finals (1991, 2023) and the Conference League championship in 2022.
On the coaching bench, Gian Piero Gasperini brought more hope when he helped Atalanta win the Europa League not long ago. However, Roma has a rather erratic record when facing home teams in European cups.
Roma's recent form is also a worrying issue. They dropped the advantage against Juventus, then continuously suffered defeats against Genoa and Como, thereby losing in the top 4 Serie A race. The latest defeat became even more regrettable when they had to play with one less player after Wesley's red card.
In the opposite direction, Bologna had a certain improvement when they defeated Sassuolo thanks to an early goal by Thijs Dallinga. This victory helped them improve their position in the rankings, but overall, the season of Vincenzo Italiano's team is still unstable.
Rossoblu once had a 5-match winning streak in all competitions, but then stalled. This fluctuation makes the ambition to win a ticket to European cups through Serie A become distant, as they are 9 points behind Roma.
In that context, the Europa League has become the most feasible path for Bologna to nurture hopes of returning to the continental arena. However, this task is not simple.
Bologna's biggest strength is their impressive form in Europe this season, as they are on a 10-match unbeaten streak - the club's best record in history in this arena. In addition, head-to-head record also partially supports them, when they won 2/3 of their last away games at the Olimpico and only lost 1 in their last 7 encounters with Roma.
The second leg is therefore expected to be very tense, where Roma's experience faces Bologna's tenacity and discomfort in the battle for the only ticket to the next round for Italian football.
Personnel situation
Roma is likely to receive good news about the force when key center-back Gianluca Mancini returns after suspension, causing him to be absent in the first leg. Evan Ndicka is also ready to reappear, while Wesley's suspension only applies in Serie A so it does not affect this match.
However, Gian Piero Gasperini is still having a headache with the prolonged injury list. Paulo Dybala (knee), Artem Dovbyk (leg) and Evan Ferguson (ankle) are still unable to return. Matias Soule has muscle problems, and Zeki Celik also leaves open the possibility of playing due to a calf injury.
On the other side, Bologna may welcome the return of captain Lewis Ferguson after a domestic suspension. However, they will be without number one left-back Juan Miranda due to UEFA suspension.
In the goalkeeper position, Lukasz Skorupski suffered a hamstring injury and is likely to be absent.
Expected lineup:
Svilar, Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso, Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley, Pisilli, Pellegrini, Malen.
Ravaglia, Zortea, Lucumi, Vitik, Lykogiannis, Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega, Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe.
The match between Roma and Bologna takes place at 3:00 AM on March 20 (Vietnam time).
