Roma vs Eintracht Frankfurt

Stadio Olimpico sets the stage for a high-stakes Europa League showdown between Roma and Eintracht Frankfurt. 

Roma’s quest to reach the Europa League knockouts hangs by a thread as they commence the final league-phase round in the 21st, only a point clear of the exit zone. A narrow 1-0 defeat at AZ Alkmaar in the penultimate round marked Roma’s third winless European outing in their last four (W1, D2, L1), highlighting their underwhelming form on the continental front. ‘I Giallorossi’ bounced back immediately with a come-from-behind 2-1 Serie A win at Udinese last weekend. The impending home return should bolster Roma’s case, considering they’ve won back-to-back Europa League matches at the Olimpico ‘to nil’ after a 1-1 draw with Athletic Bilbao in late September. That run forms part of the home side’s eye-catching run of just three defeats across their last 45 major European games in Rome (W33, D9).

In the meantime, Eintracht Frankfurt’s perfect four-game start to the new calendar year (W4), including a 2-0 home triumph against Ferencvaros in this competition, ended abruptly at TSG Hoffenheim last weekend (2-2). Losing standout forward Omar Marmoush to Manchester City has significantly derailed Frankfurt’s lofty European ambitions, even though they’re a point away from locking down a top-eight finish. Indeed, Dino Toppmoller’s men have only lost once in seven league-phase outings (W5, D1), starting this round three points behind top-placed Lazio in second. Connoisseurs of action-packed football will look forward to this encounter, considering Frankfurt’s three Europa League away games this season have featured over 2.5 goals and both teams on the scoresheet.