AS Roma will welcome Servette for their second Europa League game of the 2023/24 season. After a slow start, Roma have been able to find some results, while Servette have been struggling a lot.
AS Roma made a tough start to the new season. Jose Mourinho’s side played out a 2-2 draw with Salernitana in their Serie A opener before suffering back-to-back defeats to Hellas Verona and Milan.
During the course of the first three Serie A games of the season, Jose Mourinho’s side missed the influence of Paulo Dybala upfront, and he showed his class upon his return to the side against Empoli at Stadio Olimpico. The World Cup winner showed his class, scored two goals, and combined well with Romelu Lukaku throughout the fixture. That result has lifted the mood around the Italian capital.
Roma started their Europa League campaign against Sheriff Tiraspol and ended with a 2-1 win. Lukaku scored for the second game in a row to help his side secure back-to-back wins for the first time this season. Following that European performance, Roma played a 1-1 draw with Torino as Lukaku scored for the third game.
On the other hand, Servette has only won a league game in the Swiss Super League this season. After that, they played four consecutive draws against Genk twice in the UEFA Champions League qualifiers, FC Zurich and Lausanne Ouchy. They went on to lose to Rangers in the first leg of their UEFA Champions League qualifiers before playing a couple of draws against St. Gallen in the Swiss Super League and Rangers to crash out of the Champions League.
Servette thumped Meyrin 8-0 in the Swiss Cup to return to winning ways for the first time since July. They followed that win up with another underwhelming performance in the league against Yverdon and Young Boys – losing both matches. Another win in the Swiss Cup followed before defeats to Slavia Prague and Luzern in the Europa League and Swiss Super League, respectively.
Servette are just making a return to Europe after missing out last season. Meanwhile, AS Roma played in the final last season, losing to Sevilla on penalties. So, based on that, Mourinho’s side is one of the favourite’s to win the competition.
In a run going back to November 2014, Romelu Lukaku has scored in 12 straight UEFA Europa League (UEL) games and will fancy his chance against a side struggling to avoid defeats in games this season.
They both have two league matches to play before facing off in one of the Europa League games of the week. Meanwhile, this will be the pair’s first-ever meeting in any European competition, and many fans would love to see this game. The Italians have a better squad and are expected to beat this Swiss opposition. Additionally, Servette’s form has been below-par this season, and they will need a miracle to avoid a thrashing at Stadio Olimpico on Thursday.
Match tickets
The epic match at Stadio Olimpico in Rome kicks off on Thursday, 5th October, at 8 PM UK time, and it will be shown live on TNT Sports, with coverage starting from around 7 PM.
This is a match-day two clash between the former Europa League finalists and another team trying to impress at this competition stage. Thursday night is the first time Roma will play a Europa League game at the 72,698-capacity Olimpico since the final loss to Sevilla last season. It should be a special one in Rome, and Servette fans should enjoy this game.
Getting tickets for the AS Roma vs Servette match tickets could take a lot of work, given the standard of this game and the size of the stadium. Hence, you are advised to search ticket reselling sites should they be expectedly sold out on each club’s channels.
Team news
Line-ups
Leading up to their Europa League game of the season, Roma picked up a win against Empoli and then won against Sheriff Tiraspol in the EL before playing out a 1-1 draw with Torino in the Serie A. Mourinho’s side are expected to continue to build on that momentum going forward. Dybala and Lukaku, who have been contributing the goals in recent weeks, are expected to continue to lead the line. Defender Renato Sanches, striker Tammy Abraham, and Marash Kumbulla are expected to miss the visit of the Swiss side.
AS Roma: Patricio; Mancini, Llorente, Ndicka; Kristensen, Cristante, Paredes, El Shaarawy, Spinazzola; Dybala, Lukaku.
As of the time of writing, Servette does not have any new injury concerns apart from the likes of Theo Magnin and Alexander Lyng. The two players have not played in a while and will not be particularly missed in this fixture. However, Rene Weiler is hopeful that his choice of starting eleven will give a spirited performance in the Italian capital.
Servette: Frick; Rouiller, Severin, Baron, Bolla ; Stevanovic, Cognat, Ondoua, Kutesa; Crivelli, Antunes.
Prediction
Roma is in better form compared to their Swiss opposition. The Italians are unbeaten in their past three games and look suitable for this Europa League match. The Giallorossi are huge bookmakers’ favourites to win this game. Even a draw will be considered an upset.
Lukaku loves this competition and will be keen to score in his second Europa League game for the capital club. Meanwhile, Dybala will also fancy his chances against a Servette side that has kept just a clean sheet in their 14 competitive games this season.
AS Roma 4-1 Servette
