Roma have a very poor record away from home in this competition, as they come into this one winless in their last five games on the road in this competition, winning only three of their last 20.
Still, though, Porto are far from at their best, and with the Portuguese side having drawn three of their last four games, we think this one will end all square too. Porto 1-1 Roma.
Arguably the biggest tie of the Europa League playoff round sees Porto take on Roma in what should be a hugely entertaining encounter.
Porto finished a lowly 18th in the Europa League group phase, a position that is well below what was expected of them. The Portuguese giants had some tough fixtures, but having accumulated only three wins from eight games, they've been well below the required level of a Europa League contending side.
Manager Vítor Bruno was relieved of his duties as manager last month with their Europa League showing no doubt impacting the board's decision, so it's turning into a pretty turbulent season for Porto, who are looking to salvage what they can from the campaign. Porto sit 3rd in the Primeira Liga, eight points behind leaders Sporting CP whilst also sitting level on points with Braga in 4th. The title is probably out of reach at this point, but a top three finish is hanging in the balance as things currently stand, so you can see why the powers that be at the club felt compelled to make a bold move regarding the management.
Now sitting in the Porto dugout is Martín Anselmi, who arrived from Mexican club Cruz Azul late last month. The 39-year-old Argentine has no prior experience managing in Europe, having strictly plied his trade in Latin America before arriving in Portugal, but having led Ecuadorian club Independiente del Valle to the Copa Sudamericana title back in 2022, he is not without pedigree. Anselmi has one win and two draws from his first three games in charge, and while that's not a particularly fast start to life at the club, things could have been much worse.
If Anselmi can guide Porto through to the next round at the expense of a club like Roma, he will transform the mood at the club and give himself an excellent platform from which he can start to build. An exit, though, could make things quite dicey at a very early stage of his tenure.
Roma finished 15th in the Europa League group stage with 12 points from 8 games. Like their opponents, the Italian giants were underwhelming relative to the expectations of the team, so they now find themselves staring down a potentially premature exit from the competition.
Roma's season has been even more full of upheaval than that of Porto, with the Italian giants already on their third manager of the campaign. With Daniele De Rossi and Ivan Jurić having been given the boot, Claudio Ranieri made a stunning return to the club for a third stint at the age of 73, taking charge of the team back in November. To be fair to the club, it's a move that's largely worked out well, with Roma winning seven, drawing three and losing three of Ranieri's first 13 games in charge. Especially compared to what came before it, that's a much more stable record.
Roma won their first-ever European trophy back in 2021-22 when they won the Conference League under José Mourinho, but having twice been runners-up in this competition, it's one they'll be desperate to win. They've probably drawn the short straw with Porto being their playoff opponents, but if they get through this, they'll have a decent chance of going all the way.
This game will be televised live in the UK on TNT Sports 2.
Porto Team News:
The Portuguese side come into this game unable to call upon Martim Fernandes and Marko Gruijić, while Ivan Marcano remains a long-term absentee.
After missing the last game through suspension, Otávio will likely return to the starting XI here.
Predicted lineup: Costa; Djalo, Perez, Pedro; João Mário, Eustáquio, Moura, Otávio; Pepê, Samu, Mora.
Roma Team News:
The visitors will be without midfielder Leandro Paredes and young goalkeeper Renato Bellucci Marin, but they otherwise have a pretty clean bill of health.
Defender Mats Hummels should come back into the starting XI after he was rested for the game at the weekend.
Predicted lineup: Svilar; Hummels, Ndicka, Mancini; Angelino, Rensch, Cristante, Kone; Dybala, Pellegrini; Dovbyk.
Porto:
Porto come into this game amidst a poor run of form, winning just one of their last five games. At the weekend, a stoppage-time equaliser from English striker Danny Namaso salvaged a point against Sporting CP in a 1-1 draw, a result that followed a 2-2 draw away at Rio Ave, where Nehuén Pérez and Otávio scored the goals.
Before that, a goal from the now-departed Nico González secured a 1-0 win away at Maccabi Tel Aviv, which came after a 1-1 draw with Santa Clara and a 0-1 loss to Olympiakos.
Roma:
Roma enter this game in decent shape, with three wins, one draw and one defeat from their last five outings. Most recently, Roma beat Venezia 1-0 away from home thanks to a Paulo Dybala penalty, a result that was preceded by a 3-1 defeat to Milan in the Coppa Italia and a 1-1 draw with Napoli, with Angeliño salvaging a point in injury time.
Prior to that, goals from Angeliño and Eldor Shomurodov secured a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in the Europa League, which was preceded by a 2-1 win over Udinese thanks to penalties from Lorenzo Pellegrini and Artem Dovbyk.
Europa League | Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 |  Ferencváros | 8 | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 12 | |
| 18 |  Porto | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | +2 | 11 | |
| 19 |  AZ | 8 | 3 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 11 | |
| Last updated 16/03/2025 | ||||||||
Europa League | Pos | Club | P | W | D | L | GD | PTS | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 |  Galatasaray | 8 | 3 | 4 | 1 | +3 | 13 | |
| 15 |  Roma | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +4 | 12 | |
| 16 |  Plzeň | 8 | 3 | 3 | 2 | +1 | 12 | |
| Last updated 16/03/2025 | ||||||||
