Roma searches for comfort in Europe again

On By Littum

Roma goes to Porto in the Europa League on Thursday, still wanting to save a bad season after a disappointing transfer window in January.

Capital City Club sat ninth in the Serie A table despite a recent eight-game undefeated race in the league and was dumped out of the Italian Cup last week by AC Milan.

They needed a 2-0 win over Eintracht Frankfurt in their last league phase match just to secure a top-24-finish in the Europa League and a knockout-play-off round draw against Porto.

An annoyed Claudio Ranieri, back to a third spell, which Roma’s third coach for the campaign pointed to the rules of financial fair-play when they were repeatedly asked by journalists, which is why the club did not spend more in January in an attempt to revive their fortunes.

“I want to ask the president to spend more money, take three or four years of suspension, that way we are not going to Europe, we are not going to the Champions League and we will all be happy,” The 73 -Year -Gammel told Radio Rai after Roma’s 1-0 win on Venice Sunday before cutting the interview briefly.

Roma fans got angry with the decision early in the season to sack the popular coach Daniele de Rossi, who helped the team end sixth in Serie A last election period after a similar bad start.

Ivan Juric did not last long as his successor and was dismissed with the club only four points above the relegation zone.

Roma is not finished in the top four of the Italian top flight since the 2017/18 season, but has had the recent success in Europe.

They have reached the least semi -finals of the Europa League for three of the last four seasons, with the exception of Jose Mourinho taking them to their Virgin European title in the 2021/22 Conference League.

Porto has been in even worse shape that goes into the first leg and is on a five-match winless strip in the Portuguese Primeira League after a 1-1 draw with leaders Sporting Lisbon on Friday.

But Porto has won their last two European ties against Roma in the 2018/19 Champions League last 16 and in the 2016/17 Champions League qualification.

Ajax on song

Ajax is also targeted at a last 16-place when they take on the Belgian Club Union Saint-Gilloise, bent by a race of six consecutive League victories who have taken them to the top of Eredivisie.

The Dutch giants finished a low fifth in the Netherlands last season, but will come back to their best.

They hope to win a first major European trophy since their fourth Champions League title in 1995.

Elsewhere, Mourinho’s Fenerbahce hosts Anderlecht, while their bitter rivals Galatasaray AZ Alkmaar in their first legs.

Galatasaray’s super corpse fight against Adana Demispor over the weekend stopped in the 30th minute after Istanbul’s opponents left in protest after a previous penalty.

Fenerbahce then threw Galatasaray into a statement and accused their rivals of “harming the state and the Turkish Football Federation”.

Galatasaray is the only Turkish club to ever won a European competition that lifted the UEFA Cup and UEFA Super Cup in 2000.

Europa League Knockout Playoff Round, First Ben Games:

Thursday

  • Fenerbahce vs. Anderlecht
  • Ferencvaros vs. Viktoria Plzen
  • Midtjylland vs. Real Sociedad
  • Union Saint-Gilloise vs. Ajax
  • AZ Alkmaar vs. Galatasaray
  • Porto against Roma
  • PAOK vs. FCSB
  • Twente vs. Bodo/Glimp

Conference League Knockout Playoff Round, First Ben Games:

Thursday

  • Celje vs. Apoel
  • Molde vs. Shamrock Rovers
  • TSC vs. Jagiellonia
  • Vikingur vs. Panathinaikos
  • Borac Banja Luka vs. Olimpija Ljubljana
  • FC Copenhagen vs. Heidenheim
  • Gent vs. Real Betis
  • Omonia vs. Pafos