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.