After stuttering to a sixth-place finish in Serie A, Jose Mourinho’s Roma will be looking to finish their season with silverware when they take on Eredivisie side Feyenoord on Wednesday at 20:00GMT at the Air Albania Stadium for the Europa Conference League title.
Match Preview
Can Jose Mourinho Mastermind a Final Win for Roma?
A season after taking over the Roma job, Jose Mourinho is in line to win the first silverware for the Stadio Olimpico side.
This final appearance will be especially sweet for the special one given he has been written off by pundits after his challenging stints at Manchester United and Tottenham, from which he was sacked before taking on the Roma rebuild.
Roma will seek to end this season on a high after they failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League.
Can Feyenoord Upset Roma and Win the Inaugural Europa Conference League?
After finishing third in the Eredivisie behind winners Ajax and runners-up PSV, Feyenoord will be looking to crown their season with a European title when they take on Roma on Wednesday.
The clash with Jose Mourinho’s side is expected to be a tactical tussle between two philosophical approaches to football.
Feyenoord’s free-flowing football will come up against Roma’s pragmatic and reactive football that is associated with Jose Mourinho.
Feyenoord will have to be aware of the danger posed by Roma’s pacey forward and the quick transitions they can use to devastating effect.
Form Guide
Roma
Roma ended their Serie A season with one win from five outings in the championship as they failed to qualify for next season’s Champions League havening finished seven points behind fourth-placed Juventus.
In the Europe Conference League, Roma has played 12 games on their run to the final. They have prevailed in seven of them while drawing three times and losing twice.
Mourinho’s side have scored 27 goals, conceded 15, and kept five clean sheets while averaging 45.25% possession in their run to the final.
Feyenoord
Apart from finishing their Eredivisie season with a 2-1 loss to Twente, Feyenoord won three times, drew once, and lost once in their five league outings on their way to finishing third on the table.
In the Europa Conference League, Feyenoord played 12 matches on their run to the final appearance against Roma on Wednesday.
They have won eight times and drawn four times. This unbeaten run to the final has involved 28 goals scored while conceding 15 in the process.
Feyenoord have also averaged 52% of possession showing their dominance of the ball while keeping only two clean sheets in the process.
Team News
Roma
Jose Mourinho will be without attacking midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the clash with Feyenoord.
The experienced 33-year-old suffered a hamstring injury on April 28th, 2022. Estimates indicate that he is likely to be back fit by May 29th, which means he is a major doubt for the final.
Feyenoord
Arne Slot will be without the services of goalkeeper Justin Bijlow (foot surgery), left-back Tyrell Malacia (hamstring injury), right-winger Reiss Nelson (knock), and centre-back Gernot Trauner (hamstring injury).
These four players are slated to be back fit by May 24th, a day before the match, which makes them massive doubts about Slot’s selection for match day.
Possible Starting Lineups
Roma
Patricio; R. Ibanez, M. Kumbulla, G. Mancini; L. Spinazzola, J. Veretout, S. Oliveira, N. Zalewski; L. Pellegrini, E. Shomurodov; T. Abraham
Feyenoord
Marciano; M. H. Pedersen, L. Geertruida, M. Senesi, R. Hendriks; G. Til, F. Aursnes, O. Kokcu; A. Jahanbakhsh, C. Dessers, L. Sinisterra
Players to Watch
T. Abraham
The English international has been in scintillating form this season; he finished the Serie A season with 26 goals and four assists in 49 appearances for Mourinho’s side.
These numbers underscore Abraham’s importance to Roma, especially their ability to score goals. He will be crucial for Roma in the clash against Feyenoord on Wednesday as they bid to win silverware.
C. Dessers
The striker will be tasked with breaking down Roma’s defence in the final. This will be crucial for Feyenoord because they are expected to have the lion’s share of the possession
Prediction
Feyenoord will dominate possession and the tempo of the match from the start as they seek to take advantage and score an early goal.
Roma will seek to control the match through a pragmatic approach and lightning-fast counterattacks.
Roma will win the match and take home Mourinho’s first silverware as Roma coach.
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