European football is back already to add an extra bit of complication to AS Roma’s season and their Europa League knockout round play-off against FC Salzburg on Thursday evening will not be easy.
Roma were able to finish second in their Europa League group which contained Real Betis, HJK and Ludogorets Razgrad. That means they have this play-off against a team that finished third in a Champions League group containing AC Milan, Chelsea and Dinamo Zagreb.
Whilst Roma have become very focused on their bid to reach the top four and the Champions League, Jose Mourinho takes this competition seriously and with the Coppa Italia defeat against Cremonese, it is their only chance of silverware.
FC Salzburg vs AS Roma: Predicted lineups
With Georginio Wijnaldum back from his long-term injury, expect him to see some minutes in Austria, although they may not be from the start. There may be some rotation from Mourinho but not drastic amounts as it has become clear he has limited faith in his bench. Ebrima Darboe and Rick Karsdorp are the only players out.
FC Salzburg sit comfortably atop the Austrian Bundesliga and they are not struggling with injuries at the moment. Highly rated youngsters such as Maurits Kjaergaard and Noah Okafor are expected to start.
FC Salzburg predicted XI vs AS Roma (4-3-1-2): Kohn; Ulmer, Pavlovic, Solet, Dedic; Kjaergaard, Gourna-Douath, Seiwald; Sucic; Fernando, Okafor.
AS Roma predicted XI vs FC Salzburg (3-4-2-1): Patricio; Mancini, Smalling, Ibanez; Celik, Tahirovic, Matic, Zalewski; Dybala, Pellegrini; Abraham.
FC Salzburg vs AS Roma: When does the Europa League fixture start?
The Europa League fixture of FC Salzburg vs AS Roma kicks off at 18:45 CET – local time in Italy – making it a 17:45 GMT kick-off.
In the United States, kick-off of FC Salzburg vs AS Roma is 12:45 ET or 09:45 PT.
FC Salzburg vs AS Roma: Where to watch the Europa League fixture?
In the United States, every Europa League game in 2022/23 can be seen on Paramount+, including FC Salzburg vs AS Roma and the other standout fixtures of the Europa League play-off round.
In the United Kingdom and Ireland, you can watch FC Salzburg vs AS Roma on BT Sport 4.
