Bayer Leverkusen continued their unbeaten run in all competitions to 47 games with a 2-0 away victory in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League semifinal against Roma, leaving them in a strong position to qualify for their first European final in 22 years. The newly crowned Bundesliga champions continued their remarkable season at Stadio Olimpico thanks to goals in each half from Florian Wirtz and Robert Andrich, putting them in pole position to beat the side that eliminated them at this stage of the competition 12 months ago. Here’s what you need to know:
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How to watch and odds
- Date: Thursday, May 9 | Time: 3 p.m. ET
- Location: Bay Arena — Leverkusen, Germany
- Live stream: Paramount+
- Odds: Bayer -200; Draw +320; AS Roma +525
How they got here
Bayer Leverkusen: Xabi’s side topped Group H as the only side with a 100% record, scoring 19 goals and conceding just three before coming up against section runners-up Qarabag again in the last 16, which ended in a 5-4 aggregate victory. Leverkusen came from 2-0 down both in the first leg in Azerbaijan (2-2) and the home return (3-2) with substitute Patrik Schick scoring twice in added time in the latter fixture. Bayer then defeated 2022-23 UEFA Europa Conference League champions West Ham in the quarter finals to reach a second successive Europa League semifinal.
AS Roma: De Rossi successfully guided last season’s runners-up past fellow Italian side AC Milan in the quarterfinals. A 1-0 first-leg win at San Siro was followed by a 2-1 home success despite Roma losing defender Zeki Çelik to a 31st-minute red card as goals from Gianluca Mancini and Paulo Dybala had already extended Roma’s advantage in the tie.
Team news
AS Roma: Daniele De Rossi’s main doubt is about Paulo Dybala, who is not at his best, but it’s likely he will start on Thursday, with the Argentinian expected to make it in the starting lineup alongside Romelu Lukaku and Stephan El Shaarawy. Celik will be back in defense after the suspension.
Possible AS Roma XI: Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Spinazzola; Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy.
Bayer Leverkusen: The German side is expected to line up with its ideal starting XI, with Florian Wirtz and Victor Boniface leading the attack, and with former AS Roma man Patrick Schick starting on the bench.
Possible Bayer Leverkusen XI: Kovar; Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba; Frimpong, Xhaka, Palacios, Grimaldo; Adli, Boniface, Wirtz.
Prediction
Roma are expected to start strong since they need to score at least two goals, but Leverkusen are still the strongest side and are expected to play the final in Dublin on May 22. Pick: Bayer Leverkusen 1, AS Roma 1.
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