Less than a year after they met in a close-fought continental final, Feyenoord and Roma convene again on Thursday for the first leg of their Europa League quarter-final tie, at De Kuip.

While the Serie A side came out on top in last term's Europa Conference League decider, their in-form hosts are on course to become Eredivisie champions and are well-placed to take revenge.

Match preview

Since losing 1-0 to Jose Mourinho's men in last May's inaugural Conference League final, Feyenoord have gone from strength to strength despite inevitably losing players to richer clubs across Europe.

Having not lost in the league since November and crushed Shakhtar Donetsk 7-1 in their Europa League last-16 second leg a few weeks ago, the Rotterdammers are enjoying a prolonged purple patch - blotted only by their controversial KNVB Beker semi-final loss to arch-rivals Ajax last Wednesday.

In the latest example of how fiery De Kuip can be under the floodlights, Feyenoord's fans twice held up De Klassieker in a 2-1 defeat - first for a cloud caused by smoke bombs to clear; secondly, when Davy Klaasen was struck by an object thrown from the stands.

After the officials had led both teams off in response, action eventually resumed when the Ajax man's bloodied head was treated and club legend John de Wolf emotionally - and effectively - addressed his club's supporters in a plea for peace. Roma can surely expect a similar reception this week, though.

Nearly 2,000 seats will be left empty for Thursday's fixture as a result of subsequent safety measures, but Feyenoord - who thumped RKC Waalwijk 5-1 at the weekend to sit eight points clear at the Eredivisie summit - will still be passionately backed.

On course to be crowned Dutch champions for the first time since 2017, they have won each of their last eight league matches, and having lost only four times all season, Arne Slot's side will not suffer an inferiority complex against their conquerors in Tirana some 11 months ago.

While Feyenoord have had to shop around smartly to ensure losing the Conference League final did not bring the early end of an era, Roma recruited from the elite last summer, and star signing Paulo Dybala scored his 11th league goal of the season on Saturday as his superb first season in the Eternal City continued.

Dybala's eighth-minute penalty proved decisive against Torino and also ended the Giallorossi's six-game wait for an away win - a sequence which highlights how Mourinho's men have often struggled on the road.

That will be a source of concern for the wily tactician as he plots a path to yet more personal European glory, but his team remain in the top-four hunt in Serie A with nine domestic fixtures remaining.

Since the start of 2023, only league leaders Napoli have won more matches than Roma in the Italian top flight, and eight victories in the league this year have been accompanied by two wins from four games in the Europa League knockout stages - enough to see off both RB Salzburg and Real Sociedad.

During that time, too, the Giallorossi have kept 12 clean sheets in all competitions, with Mourinho's safety-first approach bearing fruit regarding results if not in terms of attractive football.

Both his aim - and the Roma hierarchy's - is to conclude his second season in charge at Stadio Olimpico by securing more silverware and a return to the Champions League for next term. However, Thursday's hosts do not offer a safe passage to next month's semi-finals, where either Bayer Leverkusen or Union Saint-Gilloise will await.

Team News

Last weekend brought mixed fortunes for Arne Slot, who is set to start Netherlands full-back Lutsharel Geertruida on Thursday evening. The 22-year-old recently returned from a hamstring problem picked up during his international debut against France last month and then featured in the win over RKC.

Alireza Jahanbakhsh had to pull out during the warm-up but should be available against Roma. Brazilian winger Igor Paixao stepped into the breach and then bagged his second goal in two league games, so will hope to keep his place.

While Feyenoord's midfield will be run by much-admired captain Orkun Kokcu, back-up goalkeeper Timon Wellenreuther could still start as their last line of defence, with first choice Justin Bijlow just returned from a wrist injury. Quentin Timber is the hosts' only injury absentee.

At the other end of his career compared to Kokcu, former Feyenoord player Georginio Wijnaldum is expected to form part of Roma's midfield, but another familiar figure at De Kuip, Rick Karsdorp, was recently ruled out for several weeks.

After surprisingly being selected ahead of both Tammy Abraham and Andrea Belotti to start up front against Torino, Ola Solbakken suffered a dislocated shoulder and was withdrawn during the second half.

Therefore, Abraham should lead the line, supported by Paulo Dybala; captain Lorenzo Pellegrini will join them if he can recover from an illness which kept him out of Saturday's trip to Turin.

Feyenoord possible starting lineup:
Wellenreuther; Geertruida, Trauner, Hancko, Hartman; Wieffer, Szymanski, Kokcu; Jahanbakhsh, Gimenez, Idrissi

Roma possible starting lineup:
Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Zalewski, Cristante, Wijnaldum, Spinazzola; Pellegrini, Dybala; Abraham

We say: Feyenoord 2-1 Roma

Having scored 21 goals in their last six matches, Feyenoord can surely find the net at least once in front of their own fans; capitalising on Roma's frailties outside the Italian capital. That could see the Rotterdam side take a slim lead into next week's return leg.


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