Charles Jackson
Bayer Leverkusen maintained their unbeaten run in all competitions to 47 games with a 2-0 away victory in the UEFA Europa League semi-final first leg against Roma leaving them in a strong position to qualify for their first European final in 22 years. The newly crowned Bundesliga champions continued their remarkable season at the Stadio Olimpico thanks to goals from Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich in each half, putting them in pole position to defeat the team that eliminated them at this stage of the competition 12 months ago. Here’s what you need to know:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, May 9th | Time: 3:00 p.m. ET
- Location: Arena Bay – Leverkusen, Germany
- Live broadcast: Paramount+
- Chances: Bayer -200; Draw +320; Rome +525
How did they get here
Bayer Leverkusen: Xabi’s side topped Group H as the only team with a 100% winning record, scoring 19 goals and conceding just three, before facing Qarabag again, second in the group, in the round of 16, which ended with a 5-4 aggregate victory. Leverkusen recovered from a 2-0 deficit in both the first leg in Azerbaijan (2-2) and the second leg (3-2), with substitute Patrik Schick scoring two added-time goals in the last game. Bayer then defeated 2022–23 UEFA Europa Conference League champions West Ham in the quarter-finals to reach a second successive Europa League semi-final.
AS-Roma: De Rossi successfully guided last season’s runners-up to victory over fellow Italians AC Milan in the quarter-finals. A 1-0 first-leg victory at San Siro was followed by a 2-1 home victory, although Roma lost defender Zeki Çelik to a red card in the 31st minute, as goals from Gianluca Mancini and Paulo Dybala had already increased Roma’s lead in the tie.
Team News
AS-Roma: Daniele De Rossi’s main doubt is about Paulo Dybala, who is not at his best, but is likely to start on Thursday, with the Argentine expected to start alongside Romelu Lukaku and Stephan El Shaarawy. Celik will be back in defense after suspension.
Possible AS Roma XI: Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Spinazzola; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy.
Bayer Leverkusen: The German team should line up with their ideal starting eleven, with Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface leading the attack, and with former AS Roma player Patrick Schick starting on the bench.
Possible Bayer Leverkusen XI: Kovar; Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Adli, Bonifácio, Wirtz.
Prediction
Roma are expected to start strong as they need to score at least two goals, but Leverkusen are still the stronger team and are due to play the final in Dublin on May 22nd. Choice: Bayer Leverkusen 1, AS Roma 1.
