ROTTERDAM – Feyenoord will be fired up more than ever when they host AS Roma in the Europa League play-offs first-leg clash at De Kuip on Feb 15, as they will simply not accept a third loss in as many seasons to the Serie A side.
As much as a place in the competition’s last 16 is alluring enough, painful memories of defeat in the 2021-22 Europa Conference League final as well as being ousted at the quarter-final stage of the last season’s Europa League will serve as motivation for the Dutch side.
While Arne Slot’s side will take consolation from a 1-0 home win in the first leg last season, they will do well to remember their 4-1 humbling in the return leg at the Stadio Olimpico.
“Roma use a formation we don’t often see in the Netherlands. I’ll try to make the most of what I learnt from the last two encounters,” said Slot, who took his first senior post only in 2019, named best coach for two years running in the Eredivisie.
Maybe another positive spin for Feyenoord could be in the unknown element in their opponents’ dugout. While it was experienced coach Jose Mourinho who masterminded Roma’s successes over the Dutch outfit in the previous two campaigns, the Portuguese is no longer in charge of the Giallorossi.
The 61-year-old was sacked in January and replaced by the club’s former captain Daniele de Rossi, who came through Roma’s academy and played 616 times for the first team between 2001 and 2019.
Since taking over, the 40-year-old has presided over three wins and a loss, though that defeat came at the hands of Serie A leaders Inter Milan on Feb 10.
“I never stopped following Roma. Witnessing the Europa League evenings last year made me realise that something special is being rebuilt in terms of the relationship between the team and the fans,” said de Rossi of the club’s first European encounter under his charge.
Vital to de Rossi’s triumphant continental start is main marksman Romelu Lukaku. The Belgian hotshot is prolific in the Europa League, having scored in all but one of his last 17 appearances, netting 20 times across that period. He is just five goals away from Radamel Falcao’s all-time record of 30 in the competition.
However, it is of some concern to de Rossi that Lukaku has mustered just two goals in his last eight games in all competitions, struggling to convert clear-cut chances against Salernitana, Cagliari and Inter.
To make matters worse, English striker Tammy Abraham is still unavailable.
Centre-back Evan Ndicka is expected to miss out too, as he continues celebrating Ivory Coast’s success at the recently concluded Africa Cup of Nations tournament, while midfielder Bryan Cristante is suffering from a back problem.
Slot will also be missing captain and defender Gernot Trauner due to a thigh injury and possibly midfielder Quinten Timber, who suffered a concussion against AZ Alkmaar on Feb 7.
Another Serie A outfit involved in the play-offs are seven-time Champions League winners AC Milan, who host Ligue 1 Rennes at the San Siro in another glamour tie.
The French side have not had particularly happy adventures in Italy, having lost all their three of their previous away encounters, conceding twice in each of them.
However, coach Julien Stephan is delighted at the prospect of taking on such illustrious adversaries, saying: “They are a top team, a top club, and very prestigious. To be faced with this type of opponents is a great opportunity.”
