UEL Semi-final 2022-23: Bayer Leverkusen vs AS Roma: Predicted lineup, injury news, head-to-head, telecast

Die Werkself will host the capital side from Italy, as Xabi Alonso gets another shot to get the better of his former manager Jose, in the 2nd leg Europa League tie on Thursday evening.

AS Roma produced a classic Jose Mourinho defensive masterclass against a Bayer Leverkusen side full of attacking intent in the first leg and restricted their German opponents to only two shots on target while winning by a single-goal margin and a clean sheet.

On Thursday evening, Jose Mourinho will have the opportunity to take his side to the 14th Cup final of his management career, & the sixth European final, when they travel to Germany to defend their slender 1-0 lead from the 1st leg. From a historical perspective, AS Roma have been able to progress further into the knockout stage of a European two-leg tie, 23 out of 25 times, whenever carrying a lead into the second leg, with their only losses coming in 2006-07 & 2018-19 against Manchester United and Porto respectively.

They are currently in the 6th spot in the league table, with 3 games remaining, overturning a six-point deficit(4th Lazio on 65 points) to reach the UCL next season is also looking increasingly improbable. With persistent injuries in the key part of the season, alongside squad depth issues and rumours of Jose Mourinho being linked to the PSG job for next season, winning the Europa League to qualify for next year's Champions League will be the ultimate objective for the club.

For Bayer Leverkusen, a similar opportunity to overachieve remains in this second-leg tie, as they will look to overturn last week's 1-0 loss, with Xabi Alonso making wholesale changes to the weekend's Bundesliga encounter with Stuttgart, which ended in a draw. Having done a fabulous job of bringing Bayer from brinks of relegation in 17th to 7th place currently, Xabi Alonso will look to rubberstamp his managerial credentials by taking his side to their first Europa League final since 1987-88.

However, defeating his former manager would be no mean task, especially given the advantage of experience and European winning pedigree carrying over from last season working in favour of their opponents from the capital of Italy. Also, a crucial miss in the 2nd leg would be the absence of central defender Kossounou, whose injury gave a huge setback to the Bayer backline which has been the bedrock of their recent success and will be replaced by club veteran Jonathan Tah in this tie.

Kick-off

Thursday, 18-05-2023, 07:00 PM (GMT)

Friday, 19-05-2023, 12:30 AM (IST)

AS Roma Form (All Competitions): D - W – L - D - D

Bayer Leverkusen Form (All Competitions): D - L – D – W – W

Players to Watch Out

Roma – Rui Patricio

The Portuguese veteran has made an underrated impact on the transformation led by fellow countryman Mourinho, who was incidentally his first signing for the club, in the summer of 2021. He helped bring confidence and steadiness to the backline with his commanding presence in dealing with set-pieces and brilliant shot-stopping ability, despite being at the latter stages of his career at 33.

He helped them win the Europa Conference League last year and is targeting a second European final in two years, with him already being the top clean sheet holder in this year's competition. He'll have to be at his best in this crucial tie away from home, where penalties might be a possibility to decide the winner on the night.

Bayer Leverkusen: Moussa Diaby

Despite being limited for space in the first leg against Roma, a home-leg second tie represents another opportunity to make an impact when it matters most. Diaby has 14 goals and 10 assists in 44 competitive games so far this season, including three and one respectively in the Europa League.

He was the key man for Bayer as they eliminated Union St.Gilloise in a tough away 2nd leg, with a semi-final berth on the line, and with similar stakes present will hope to produce quality chances upfront against a very stubborn Italian defence in Jose Mourinho's Roma.

Match Facts

• AS Roma boss Jose Mourinho doesn’t boast a hugely impressive record against German teams, with only eight wins, 11 losses, and 3 draws.
• Leverkusen are in their first European semi-final since 2001-02, when they beat Manchester United on away goals in the UEFA Champions League before losing to Real Madrid in the final.
• Mourinho's last trip to Germany, whilst in charge of Tottenham Hotspur in the 2019-20 Champions League, ended in a 3-0 defeat to RB Leipzig.

Injury and Team news

For AS Roma, full-back Karsdorp(knee), and centre-back Kumbulla(ACL) & Karsdorp will miss out.

Bayer Leverkusen will miss out on the services of forward Schick(groin) and backup goalie Lunev(back), Andrich (ankle), Kossounou (thigh), against Roma.

Head-to-head stats

Matches: 5

AS Roma: 2

Bayer Leverkusen: 1

Draws: 2

Predicted Lineup

AS Roma Predicted Lineup (3-4-3): 

Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Celik, Cristante, Matic, Spinazzola; Pellegrini (c), Belotti, Abraham

Bayer Leverkusen Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1):

Hradecky (c); Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Palacios, Demirbay, Bakker; Wirtz, Diaby; Hlozek

Match Prediction for Bayer Leverkusen vs AS Roma

AS Roma's plan to go into this second leg away from home, was exactly how it turned out last week, where a narrow 1-0 win and a clean sheet gave them the advantage coming into this second leg. It'll be an evening full of entertainment as Leverkusen will go all-out attack at their home, with almost nothing to lose and everything to gain and achieve. They face their most difficult test yet so far, with arguably the best defensive side remaining in the competition in AS Roma. Hence the ability to handle nerves and perseverance will decide the winner on the night, as Mourinho's Roma just about go through with their advantage from the first leg lead.

Prediction: Bayer Leverkusen 1 - 1 Roma, after extra-time (Roma go through on aggregate)

Telecast

India – Sony Ten Network, Jio TV and Sony LIV app

UK – BT Sport

US – Paramount+ & CBS

Nigeria –  SuperSports