Back
ROMA take on Slovan Bratislava at the Stadio Olimpico tonight.
The Romans threw away a 3-1 lead in the last ten minutes and lost 4-3 to Real Madrid last Wednesday.
Roma take on Yaya Toure’s Slovan Bratislava this evening, who have conceded nine goals in two Champions League matches.
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
Follow all the action with our LIVE blog…
Pellegrini attempts a cross from the left byline, but it is hacked away.
Pressure persists as Mora lets fly with a shot that Malen struggles to gather while lurking inside the area.
Slovan desperately need to break out of their defensive third, with Roma keeping them completely pinned back.
Roma are keen to strike early on.
They’ve broken the deadlock in both of their Champions League fixtures so far, but failed to protect their advantage on each occasion.
They led Fenerbahce 1-0 before conceding and ultimately drawing, while against Real Madrid it hurt even more after a late collapse turned a 3-1 lead into a 4-3 defeat.
It is all Roma right now.
They shift the ball across from left to right, allowing Molina to send a well-drilled volley into the penalty area, though it fails to pick out a fellow Roma player.
Slovan desperately need some possession to halt this early momentum.
An early statement of intent from the hosts as they win a free kick on the left inside the opening moments.
Pellegrini places the ball down and curls his delivery toward Mora, who gets a touch.
The ball drops for Hermoso, but he fires his volley way over the bar.
The referee blows his whistle anyway, penalising Ghialrdi for a push during the attack to give Slovan a free kick.
Roma get us started and we are underway.
VS
The players are lined up in the tunnel and ready to head out onto the pitch.
Kick-off in this UEFA Champions League clash is just moments away.
Slovan make a solitary change from their 3-0 domestic win over Spartak Trnava, with manager Yaya Toure opting to go as strong as possible for tonight’s clash.
Marcelli returns to the starting line-up in place of Griger, who is not included in the matchday squad.
Gasperini makes six alterations following the side’s 2-0 Serie A victory over Genoa last weekend.
At the back, Ghilardi and Hermoso take over from Koulierakis and N’Dicka, with the pair dropping down to the bench.
Out on the flanks, Molina and Wesley come in for Lulli and Rensch, while Pellegrini takes Soule’s spot.
Up front, Malen returns from suspension to reclaim the striker’s role, despite Castro having scored in his absence over the weekend.
On the bench: Aleksandar Popovic, Kevin Wimmer, Robert Tomanek, Sahmkou Camara, Samuel Kozlovsky, Alen Mustafic, Cristian Martinez, Daiki Matsuoka, Danylo Ignatenko, Leo Hofstadter, Alasana Yirajang and Alexej Maros.
Slovan Bratislava line up in a 4-3-3 formation: Dominik Takac, Cesar Blackman, Kenan Bajric, Svetozar Markovic, Sandro Cruz, Artur Gajdos, Peter Pokorny, Rahim Ibrahim, Tigran Barseghyan, Nino Marcelli and Suleiman Camara.
On the bench: Devis Vasquez, Giorgio De Marzi, Evan N’Dicka, Gianluca Mancini, Konstantinos Koulierakis, Alessandro Di Nunzio, Bryan Cristante, Devyne Rensch, Emanuele Lulli, Matias Soule and Santiago Castro.
Roma’s starting line-up in a 3-4-2-1 formation: Pierluigi Gollini; Daniele Ghilardi, Leonardo Balerdi, Mario Hermoso; Nahuel Molina, Marten de Roon, Niccolo Pisilli, Wesley; Rodrigo Mora, Lorenzo Pellegrini; Donyell Malen.
Heavy defeats to Paris Saint-Germain (6-1) and Stuttgart (3-0) mean Slovan Bratislava face a mountain to climb to progress in the competition.
It was always going to be a tough ask for the Slovakian champions up against Europe’s elite, and coach Yaya Toure’s job doesn’t get any easier tonight as they face third-placed Serie A side Roma on matchday three.
Roma are yet to win in this season’s Champions League, leading coach Gian Piero Gasperini to describe tonight’s meeting with Slovan Bratislava as a must-win game.
Heavily backed at the Stadio Olimpico, the hosts have the ideal chance to shake off the lingering pain of last week’s collapse against Real Madrid, where they squandered a 3-1 lead right up until the 82nd minute.
They did at least bounce back with a home win over Genoa in Serie A on Saturday.
Good evening!
Follow our live updates right here for tonight’s UEFA Champions League fixture between Roma and Slovan Bratislava.
Back
Top
| Privacy Statement Terms of Service Contact |
Refresh
|
All the best breaking news stories from Apex Football Lite. Optimised for feature phones and low end Android devices, Apex Football Lite helps users with legacy devices and poor network connectivity access the latest football news and live scores. Particularly relevant for breaking football news in Nigeria, Kenya and South Africa.