Roma will visit Slavia Prague in the Europa League looking to maintain their perfect record. Their hosts are only three points worse off and are also vying for certain advancement to the round of 16, the visitors have won each of their first three games and will look to secure a spot in the round of 16 with a fourth straight victory.
Preview (Slavia Prague vs. Roma)
Slavia Prague has been quite active on the continent this season. They had only narrowly missed the Czech title the previous time around. They had to fight their way through two rounds of Europa League qualifying to get to the group stage. Slavia first defeated Dnipro-1 4-1 on aggregate and then edged Zorya over two legs. The Cernevobili’s group campaign then got underway in September when they traveled to Switzerland to play Servette. They won 2-0 thanks to goals from Lukas Masopust and Igoh Ogbu, giving them a three-point lead.
In the second round of games, Jindrich Trpisovsky’s team hosted Sheriff Tiraspol and impressively earned six points out of a possible six. They defeated Ogbu 6-0 with goals from Mojmir Chytil, David Doudera, and Ogbu, as well as an own goal from Munashe Garananga. However, their unbeaten run ended in a trip to Rome in the previous game. The Czech team lost 2-0 in the Italian capital due to two goals from the hosts in the first half. They then went on to win the league against Bohemians in 1905. The teams were tied on six points after two group games.
Slavia are still in second place after losing to Roma in the previous game. Their current standing is only good enough for a spot in the playoff round. As a result, their hopes of automatically making it to the round of 16 rest on a win on home ground. It would tie them with the visitors in points and even the head-to-head record before the final two game weeks. Roma, on the other hand, will try to make it four straight victories in the group stage. This season, Jose Mourinho’s team returned to Europe’s secondary competition with the intention of winning it all.
Team News
Although they will probably be without winger Ivan Schranz, who was injured and missed the team’s most recent league match against Viktoria Plzen, Slavia Prague should line up similarly to how they did in their previous encounter with Roma in Italy last month. With seven goals this season across all competitions, including two in the Europa League group stage, Mojmir Chytil should continue to lead the line, while Mick van Buren will also be a key member of the attacking unit. Oscar Dorley and Christos Zafeiris are dependable midfield players behind them, while Tomas Holes should start the game in the back three with Tomas Vlcek and Igoh Ogbu.
Roma will continue to struggle with multiple absences as Tammy Abraham, Marash Kumbulla, Lorenzo Pellegrini, and Leonardo Spinazzola are all restricted to the treatment area. However, Leandro Paredes will be back in the mix following his suspension against Lecce over the weekend. Paulo Dybala was cleared to start that match due to an injury concern of his own.
Romelu Lukaku, who has scored nine goals in just 12 games for I Giallorossi since joining on loan from Chelsea, including three in three Europa League group games and their victory this past weekend, should start alongside him in a front three once more. Hausem Aouar will probably complete the front line, with Stephan El Shaarawy filling in for Spinazzola at left wing-back. Sardar Azmoun, meanwhile, is also vying to start after his equalizer on Sunday. Paredes will look to return to the starting lineup and partner with Edoardo Bove or Bryan Cristante in the engine room, while Gianluca Mancini, Diego Llorente, and Evan Ndicka should make up Mourinho’s starting back three.
Slavia Prague 0 – 2 Roma
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