Matchday in focus: AS Roma | OneFootball

A closer look at Eintracht’s next opponents ahead of the UEFA Europa League trip to the Italian capital.

The opposition

Associazione Sportiva Roma, known as AS Roma for short, were founded in 1927 and are one of the most tradition-steeped clubs in Italian football. Currently ninth in the Serie A standings, they have been in the top flight for 73 years without interruption.

Nicknamed I Lupi (the Wolves) and La Magica (the Magical Ones), Roma have won the Italian league title three times and the domestic cup on nine occasions. They have enjoyed further success on the European stage, including lifting the UEFA Conference League in 2022 and the Fairs Cup in 1961.

The coach

Claudio Ranieri was appointed in November 2024 as the club’s fourth coach in three and a half years, following on from José Mourinho, Daniele De Rossi and, most recently, Ivan Juric. It is the 73-year-old’s fourth spell at the club. After coming through the Roma youth academy as a player, he was also in the dugout from 2009 to 2011 and for six months in 2019.

Tactics

Roma have played in a variety of formations in the Europa League this season. They have employed a 3-4-2-1 most recently, but are also comfortable in a 3-5-2 and a 3-4-3.

A back three comprising Evan Ndicka – who has the second-highest tackle success rate in the Europa League this season with 82 percent – Mats Hummels and Gianluca Mancini plays ahead of goalkeeper Mile Svilar. Angeliño, Kouadio Koné, Leandro Paredes, Niccolo Pisilli and Mehmet Çelik vie for places in midfield, while Artem Dovbyk and Paulo Dybala are the danger men up front.

Form

After a disjointed start to the season, Ranieri has brought stability to the team and steered them to ninth place in Serie A with 30 points, following eight wins, six draws and eight defeats. Roma are unbeaten in their last six Serie A outings, but lost 1-0 at AZ Alkmaar in their most recent Europa League assignment. Dovbyk has been the star player so far in 2024/25, scoring eight goals in 20 league appearances.

Head-to-head

This will be the first competitive meeting between these teams.

Familiar faces

Rasmus Kristensen laced his boots for Roma in 2023/24. Ndicka was on Eintracht’s books between 2018 and 2023.

Hugo Ekitiké and Paredes both played for Paris Saint-Germain in 2022/23.

Mats Hummels won the 2014 FIFA World Cup alongside Mario Götze, and the pair were also team-mates at Bayern Munich and Borussia Dortmund.