Roma have a score to settle when they face Borussia Monchengladbach in the Europa League on Thursday.
The first clash between the two sides ended in acrimonious circumstances, with the German side stealing a draw after being controversially awarded a penalty, when the ball hit Chris Smalling in the face and the referee mistakenly thought he had handled it. Now, Roma have a chance to put that behind them, as they cross paths with the Bundesliga side again.
Oh Chris Smalling...
— Football on BT Sport (@btsportfootball) October 24, 2019
He gives away a penalty in the 94th minute 😶
AFTER the ball strikes him in the face 🤦♂️
Mönchengladbach equalise from the resulting penalty! pic.twitter.com/3fXPNZJt7U
Since then, Roma have won all three of their games, against AC Milan, Udinese and Napoli. Meanwhile, Monchengladbach were knocked out of the German Cup by Borussia Dortmund, but have beaten Eintracht Frankfurt and Bayer Leverkusen to maintain their grip on top spot in the league.
Forward Marcus Thuram scored in all three of those games, meaning he continues to find the net every other game on average in his first season in Germany. He will no doubt be one of the danger men for Roma’s defence – which will have Federico Fazio available again after his suspension in Serie A – to be preoccupied with.
Leonardo Spinazzola has not travelled with the squad due to injury, but Mert Cetin and Daniel Fuzato – neither of whom are registered to play in the group stage – have done, so they can continue to train with their teammates.
Amadou Diawara returns to the squad after a month out, providing welcome relief for Roma’s midfield. A few young players have still been drafted in to accommodate for the numerous absences – namely goalkeeper Matteo Cardinali, defender Riccardo Calafiori and forward Mirko Antonucci – the latter being the most senior of the trio, and only one to have played in the first team to date.
The game, which kicks off at 8pm UK time, will be shown live on BT Sport’s red button service.
📋 | SQUAD LIST | 📋
— AS Roma English (@ASRomaEN) November 6, 2019
Here are the players available for Thursday’s Europa League game in Germany!
#ASRoma #BMGRoma pic.twitter.com/1VikjkGAwK
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