Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen: Preview, Prediction & Betting Tips

A spot in the Europa League final is at stake for both Roma and Bayer Leverkusen, with the first leg taking place in the Italian capital.

Date: 02/05/24

Kick-off time: 20:00

Venue: Stadio Olimpico

After wrapping up their first-ever Bundesliga title, full focus is now on Europe for Bayer Leverkusen. Not only are they looking to make it to the final, but they will also hope to maintain their season-long unbeaten streak. Their record has been threatened on many occasions, but they keep finding ways to avoid defeat. If they do so twice more, they will be guaranteed to be competing for the chance to win their second-ever European Cup.

Their opponents Roma were runners-up in this competition last season, ultimately losing to Sevilla on penalties. They will aim to make a second consecutive final having finished second in their group and eliminating Feyenoord, Brighton and AC Milan along the way. Leverkusen topped their group, winning all their games before taking out Qarabag and West Ham in the knockouts.

Both teams have enjoyed plenty of success in front of goal, with the visitors averaging almost three per game with 27 goals in total. Roma themselves have scored 21. However, defensively they have also been strong, conceding just eight goals each, suggesting that this may not be a high-scoring game. But, with the attacks on display, both will be confident in getting on the scoresheet. Victor Boniface and Patrick Schick are joint-fourth in the tournament’s scoring charts, scoring five each for Leverkusen. Romelu Lukaku leads the way for Roma, with his seven goals only bettered by Marseille forward Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

This will be the second semi-final tie between the pair in as many seasons, as they met last year at the same stage of the competition. Both games were tight, with the decider coming in the first leg, as Edoardo Bove’s goal proved to be the difference. The second leg ended 0-0 to send the Italians through.

Roma

Roma should have a fully fit squad to choose from with no new injury concerns to contend with.

Bayer Leverkusen

The Germans have a couple of injury issues. Both Borja Iglesias and Adam Hlozek are dealing with muscle injuries that may keep them out for this game, though the latter is further ahead in his recovery.

Roma

In their last five games, Roma have won three, drawn one and lost one. It has been a good stretch for the Italians, despite their defeat. The run started with a two-legged tie against fellow Serie A side AC Milan in the Europa League quarter-final. They won the first leg 1-0, with Gianluca Mancini’s 17th-minute goal proving to be the difference between the two sides. They won the second leg by the same margin, beating their rivals 2-1 at home to advance 3-1 on aggregate. Mancini opened the scoring again, before the lead was doubled by Paulo Dybala 10 minutes later. Mehmet Zeki Celik saw red to reduce the hosts to 10 men, but Milan were unable to take advantage, ultimately pulling only one goal back late on.

They returned to league action with a home game against Bologna but fell to a 3-1 defeat. They went behind early to an Oussama El Azzouzi goal, and this lead was doubled by Joshua Zirkzee just before the break. Sardar Azmoun halved the deficit, but they could not mount a comeback as the visitors added a third. They responded well to this setback, beating Udinese 2-1. They dominated in shot attempts and possession, but it took a strike at the death to secure three points. Udinese went a goal up midway through the first half, though this was cancelled out by Romelu Lukaku. The game seemed to be headed for a draw, but Bryan Cristante found the back of the net in the fifth minute of stoppage time.

Their most recent game was a tricky trip to Napoli. It was their only draw as they tied 2-2. Dybala put them ahead from the spot in the second half, but they were soon pegged back by Mathias Olivera. Napoli turned it around with a Victor Osimhen penalty, though Tammy Abraham salvaged a point with two minutes to go.

Bayer Leverkusen

In their last five games, Bayer Leverkusen have won two and drawn three. The newly crowned Bundesliga champions are still unbeaten this season, though that record has been strongly tested in recent games. The first of this run was a 2-0 win against West Ham in the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final. The Hammers managed to stay in the game for the majority, but two late goals from Jonas Hoffman and Victor Boniface gave the Germans a cushion heading into the second leg. This was a much tighter affair which finished 1-1 on the night, ensuring Leverkusen’s progression. Michail Antonio put West Ham in front early, and this was a lead they held until very late. With their unbeaten streak under threat, Jeremie Frimpong equalised at the death to maintain it.

Between these two legs, they comfortably beat Werder Bremen 5-0 in a win that secured their first-ever league title. Boniface broke the deadlock from the spot, before second-half goals from Granit Xhaka, and Florian Wirtz (x3) completed the rout.

They returned from European action with a 1-1 draw at Borussia Dortmund. Again, they were extremely fortunate to not relinquish their unbeaten streak as it took a 97th-minute equaliser from Josip Stanisic to salvage a point following Niclas Fullkrug’s 81st-minute opener. Their most recent game was a home fixture with Stuttgart. This ended in a 2-2 draw, but a thrilling finish means that Leverkusen are still yet to be beaten. The away side went 2-0 up before Amine Adil pulled one back. With the game drawing to a close, they scored yet another stoppage-time leveller to salvage their streak.

Both teams are likely to get on the scoresheet in this one, in what will be a tight game with nothing to split them. We expect Bayer Leverkusen to maintain their unbeaten run and take the tie back to Germany level – Roma 1-1 Bayer Leverkusen

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Roma vs Bayer Leverkusen will be available to watch on TNT Sports 2.

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