GIALLOROSSI YORKSHIRE BLOG
Roma get their Europa League campaign underway next week, with the club dreaming of winning its first European trophy since 1961.
After a disappointing 2018-19 season, Roma are returning to Europe's secondary competition for the first time since 2016-17, when they reached the Round of 16. Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has already confirmed that the target is to surpass that by reaching the final - which would be Roma's first European final since 1991, when Inter Milan beat them over two legs in the same competition, when it was known as the UEFA Cup. Fellow new arrival Chris Smalling is also confident his new team can challenge for the trophy. Before Roma can think of that, though, there is a group stage to navigate, with the draw pitting them against Borussia Monchengladbach, Istanbul Basaksehir and Wolfsberger. Here is everything you need to know about the three opponents. Borussia Monchengladbach Like Roma, Borussia Monchengladbach are returning to the Europa League for the first time since 2016-17, a season in which the Germans dropped down into the competition after coming third in their Champions League group. Unlike Roma, they have not been involved in the Champions League since, coming ninth, ninth and fifth in the last three seasons. They qualified directly to the group stages thanks to that fifth-placed finish last season, edging out Wolfsburg (not to be confused with the Austrian team also drawn in Roma's group) on goal difference. Over the summer, they lost one of their most famous names, Thorgan Hazard - brother of Belgium captain Eden Hazard - to Borussia Dortmund, while midfielder Mickael Cuisance was poached by Bayern Munich. However, they have kept hold of top scorer Alassane Plea, while reinforcing with the signings of strikers Breel Embolo from Schalke and Marcus Thuram (son of former Juventus man Lilian Thuram) from Guingamp. Captained by forward Lars Stindl, whose understudy is Swiss goalkeeper Yann Sommer, Monchengladbach have a fair amount of quality in their squad. However, this year they will be guided by a new manager, as Marco Rose has, like defender Stefan Lainer, moved from Red Bull Salzburg. The 42-year-old will be wanting to make an impression in his first job in a major European league, and is no stranger to this competition, having taken Salzburg to the semi-finals in his first campaign with them, 2017-18. A similar run would help him make a positive start at his new club - and history suggests it would not be impossible. Monchengladbach are the only team in the group to have won this competition before, doing so on two occasions - in 1974 and 1979. They have also reached the European Cup final once, losing to Liverpool at the Stadio Olimpico in 1977 - seven years before the English side defeated Roma in another final at the same venue. Istanbul Basaksehir The third seed for Roma's group was a name that will have been familiar to most fans - mainly because it was the club from whom the Giallorossi signed Cengiz Under two years ago. The Turkish winger spent a single season with the club, helping to fire them to a second place finish - the highest they had ever come in their relatively short existence - before trading one capital for another. Even since Cengiz came to Roma, though, Basaksehir have continued to establish themselves as major challengers in the Super Lig, replicating that runners-up finish last season - above the likes of Besiktas and Fenerbahce. In doing so, they booked their place in the Champions League third qualifying round, but were knocked out over two legs by Greek giants Olympiacos, without scoring a goal. As a result, they fell directly into the Europa League group stages. Managed by former Inter midfielder Okan Buruk, who took charge this summer, Basaksehir's squad list features more than enough stars of yesterday to make them an intriguing rival. Their most recent signing was Martin Skrtel, with the former Liverpool defender returning to Turkey, where he had spent the past three years with Fenerbahce. His ill-fated spell in Italy with Atalanta had lasted less than two months before he was released and replaced by ex-Roma loanee Simon Kjaer. Skrtel, 34, joins former Arsenal and Manchester City defender Gael Clichy (34), one-time Juventus forward Eljero Elia (32) and ex-Newcastle and Chelsea striker Demba Ba (34) among the Turkish club's ranks. This summer, they also brought in former Man City and AC Milan forward Robinho, now 35, and Fenerbahce veteran Mehmet Topal, while Gokhan Inler, once of Napoli, is entering his third season with the club. Former Fulham and Birmingham winger Kerim Frei will be a familiar face to English fans, while another name to keep an eye on could be Arda Turan, who is now into the third season of a loan from Barcelona. The Turkish number 10 failed to score at all last season, missing a large part of the campaign through suspension, but should never be underestimated. While many of these names may have struck fear into opponents five or 10 years ago, most are past their prime now - but even so, they could pose a serious challenge in the group. Roma will soon find out how dangerous they are, as they host them on 19th September in their first game of the competition. Wolfsberger Completing the lineup for Group J are Austrian minnows Wolfsberger, upon whom expectations will be limited. Only a top flight club since 2012, they are competing in the Europa League group stages for the first time, with their only previous taste of the tournament being in 2015-16. That year, after beating Belarusian side Shakhtyor Soligorsk, they were eliminated by German giants Borussia Dortmund in the third qualifying round. Wolfsberger's squad is mainly comprised of Austrian nationals, with German left-back Lukas Schmitz (who used to play for Schalke and Werder Bremen), Israeli forward Shon Weissman (who has started well, scoring four goals in a single game against Mattersburg on only his fourth appearance for the club), Serbian defender Nemanja Rnic, Kosovan midfielder Bajram Syla and Ivorian midfielder Anderson Niangbo the only foreigners in the roster. They are the fourth team in the group to be led by a new coach this season, with Gerhard Struber taking the reins after two years with FC Leifering, the second division side from whom Niangbo has joined on loan. Leifering are a feeder club for RB Salzburg, whom Struber worked for as a youth coach and assistant manager for several years (although never alongside Monchengladbach counterpart Rose, who worked with different age groups during the same time period). Now, the 42-year-old will be eager to prove himself on his own. Roma cannot afford to be complacent, but the games could be high-scoring affairs. Last season, Wolfsberger came third in the Austrian Bundesliga after the league was split in half for the championship and relegation rounds, but their goal difference was still zero. The 47 goals they conceded was only four less than bottom side Wacker Innsbruck; while this season, they have already been on the receiving end of a 5-2 defeat to Salzburg. Struber has work to do, then, to ensure his side do not become the whipping boys in a group where the three other sides all have realistic chances of qualifying for the knockout stages.
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samuel bannister
Founder and editor of Giallorossi Yorkshire, who is also a columnist for Roma's official website about the women's team. Categories
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