Feyenoord vs Roma

De Kuip sets the stage for the first leg of a mouth-watering Europa League knockout playoff tie between Feyenoord and Roma.

Driven by revenge, Feyenoord will be out to settle the score with Roma after bowing out of last season’s Europa League quarter-finals in heartbreaking circumstances. That’s not to mention ‘I Giallorossi’ denied them their second continental title in the inaugural Europa Conference League campaign in 2021/22, beating them 1-0 in the final. However, Arne Slot’s men have enjoyed a stellar start to the new calendar year (W5, D2) and will take the field in a buoyant mood after a 2-0 thumping of Sparta Rotterdam at the weekend. That victory made it three wins in their last four outings at De Kuip (D1), reinforcing their hopes of securing an all-important first-leg advantage. Adding to Feyenoord’s confidence, they dismantled Roma’s fierce rivals Lazio 3-1 in this season’s Champions League group stages on this ground.

On the other hand, runaway Serie A leaders Inter Milan curtailed Roma’s momentum under new manager Daniele De Rossi last weekend, coming from behind to win 4-2 at the Stadio Olimpico. Despite being knocked down from a three-game winning streak at the start of his tenure, De Rossi is unlikely to panic, especially knowing he eliminated Feyenoord from the Europa League round of 16 as a player in 2014/15. However, the former midfielder can’t take anything for granted, as his men have suffered four defeats on their last five road trips (W1). Though that only win came in his only away match in charge, a dismal run of three scoring blanks in those four losses paints a bleak picture for the Rome outfit.