Roma have a one-goal lead to protect when they welcome Vitesse to Stadio Olimpico for the second leg of their Europa Conference League last-16 tie on Thursday.
Sergio Oliveira’s goal made the difference in the first leg, but he is one of the players unavailable for this fixture after also picking up a red card. Gianluca Mancini also misses out through suspension due to cumulative yellow cards.
Jose Mourinho can, though, welcome back Marash Kumbulla, for his 50th appearance for the club. Also back in contention is Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who was sorely missed in the weekend draw with Udinese.
With Mkhitaryan missing, Roma realise their reliance on Mourinho’s key man
Incidentally, a draw in this game would be enough for Roma to reach the quarter-finals. But Mourinho insists his men are only thinking about winning – nor are they letting their mind drift to Sunday’s derby.
Instead, it is all about getting a result against Vitesse. In cause for optimism, Roma are unbeaten at home in the Conference League so far. In fact, that goes for any European competition since November 2018.
Their latest attempt to keep that run going – and put their name in the hat for Friday’s draw for the quarter-finals and semi-finals – will kick off at 8pm UK time on Thursday. Coverage will begin on the BT Sport ESPN channel 15 minutes in.
Get in the mood for matchday by learning these AS Roma chants.
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