Bayer Leverkusen take on the visitors AS Roma in the second leg of UEFA Europa League semifinals. The first leg result: 0-1. The match will be played on Thursday, May 18th at BayArena (Leverkusen).
"Bayer had an excellent performance last season, eventually making it to the group of leaders and securing their return to the Champions League. However, they couldn't make a strong impression there and finished only in third place, even after changing their coach. On the other hand, Havi Alonso managed to surpass his talented compatriots from "Atletico," which is a pleasant achievement for him as a legendary player of "Real Madrid." Additionally, their performance in the autumn phase earned them a spot in the Europa League playoffs alongside Azmoun and his teammates. They started with a 2-3 loss at home against "Monaco," but then won the return leg with the same scoreline against Golovin and his company. After eliminating "Monaco," "Bayer" went on to defeat "Ferencváros" and "Union Saint-Gilloise" consecutively. However, they faced a more experienced opponent in the semifinals. Last Thursday, they ultimately lost, but only by a minimal margin, with Beve scoring the only goal.
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"Roma" find themselves in a make-or-break situation, especially with their coach, Jose Mourinho, fully aware of it. Mourinho added another trophy to his rich collection last season by winning the inaugural edition of the Conference League. However, upon his return to Italy as "The Special One," the management of "I Lupi" clearly aimed to bring the project back to the Champions League. Mourinho failed to achieve that last season, and it is unlikely to happen this time as well. Their strong performance in April allowed them to hold on to the top four in Serie A amid a decline in form from their competitors. However, the cancellation of Juventus' 15-point deduction and a series of misfortunes for the capital team have made it virtually impossible for Jalorossi" to return to the top four of Serie A. It is evident that Mourinho is trying to rectify the situation in the Europa League, just as he did with "Manchester United" in the past. However, their journey in the tournament has been tumultuous. They started with a defeat against "Ludogorets" in the group stage and managed to secure only one point against "Real Betis" in two matches. In the playoffs, they comfortably defeated "Real Sociedad," but they lost to "Red Bull" in Salzburg, and against "Feyenoord" at home, they barely managed to force the match into overtime after a 0-1 loss in Rotterdam. They secured a minimal 1-0 victory at home against "Bayer," but that result certainly does not guarantee overall success.
Before this upcoming match, both teams have only played in the group stages of the Champions League, in 2004 and 2015. The overall record is balanced, with each team having one win and a couple of draws. The Germans are playing at home and are considered the favorites in this encounter. However, the Italians and their coach know how to achieve success even with a draw. It is recommended to bet that "AS Roma" will not lose.
Prediction for the match: AS Roma not to lose (X2).
