It’s almost a done deal for Bayer Leverkusen! The unbeaten German champions are back at the BayArena on Thursday night, hosting Roma for the second leg of their Europa League semi-final.
This isn’t the first time these two teams have met in the semis – they battled it out last year too. But things are looking much rosier for Leverkusen this time around. Their dominant 2-0 win in the first leg in Rome puts them firmly in the driver’s seat.
Leverkusen boss Xabi Alonso shuffled his pack a bit over the weekend, resting some key players for their league match. But expect a much stronger line-up to face Roma. Players like Jonathan Tah, Jeremie Frimpong, and Alex Grimaldo are all set to return to the starting XI, fresh and raring to go.
One player Leverkusen fans will be particularly excited to see back is young gun Florian Wirtz. The 20-year-old German whiz kid enjoyed a well-deserved rest at the weekend, but he’ll be back causing trouble for Roma’s defence. He’s already notched an impressive 12 Europa League goals in his young career, including one in the first leg!
Wirtz will be looking to add to his tally against Roma’s experienced backline. The visitors will likely rely on Romelu Lukaku to lead the line, with Paulo Dybala and Stephan El Shaarawy providing support if he’s fit enough to play after a knock last weekend.
Roma will also be hoping to welcome back some defensive experience. Right-back Zeki Celik is back from suspension, while Chris Smalling and Leonardo Spinazzola might get the nod to shore things up at the back.
Predicted Lineups
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar; Tapsoba, Tah, Hincapie; Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Grimaldo; Wirtz, Adli; Schick
Roma: Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Smalling, Spinazzola; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy
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