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Roma will face Real Madrid, CSKA Moscow and Viktoria Plzen in Group G of the Champions League this season.
The group features current holders Real Madrid, but the Giallorossi should be fairly confident of qualifying for the knockout stages. Roma made history in last season’s competition by reaching the semi-finals for the first time since it became the Champions League. Eusebio Di Francesco’s side beat the likes of Chelsea, Shakhtar Donetsk and Barcelona on their way to the last four, before being eliminated by Liverpool despite a valiant second leg fightback. This season, Roma were placed in pot 2 for the draw. The first match takes place week commencing 17th September - days after the home clash with Chievo Verona. Matchday two will take place in early October, following the first Derby Della Capitale of the season. Matchday 3 precedes a game against Napoli in October, while matchday 4 is sandwiched between games with Fiorentina and Sampdoria. Matchday 5 lies in the midweek before the home game against Inter. The group stage concludes week commencing 10th December, after a weekend league game against Cagliari. Di Francesco will be hoping his side can make another positive impression on the biggest European stage in what promises to be an exciting Champions League season.
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Kevin Strootman has left Roma after five years of service.
The midfielder reunites with former Roma manager Rudi Garcia at Marseille, moving to the French club for a fee of €25m plus bonuses. A summer 2013 arrival from PSV, Strootman impressed in his first season, having inherited Aldair’s number 6 shirt. However, his time at Roma was disrupted by a series of serious knee injuries, limiting his time on the pitch. He returned to full action under Luciano Spalletti in 2016-17, but he struggled for form in Eusebio Di Francesco’s 4-3-3 last season. In total, Strootman played for Roma 130 times, with 13 goals. Grazie, Kevin. Roma have confirmed that defensive midfielder Maxime Gonalons has left for Sevilla on a season-long loan.
The deal appears to be a dry loan with no option to buy. Gonalons joined Roma from Lyon last summer, but was a huge disappointment as he showed no signs of contributing to the side. He made 23 appearances for Roma, impressing in barely any of them. Roma recently added Steven Nzonzi to Gonalons' position from Sevilla, meaning first team opportunities would have been limited for Gonalons this season. Roma have completed the signing of defensive midfielder Steven Nzonzi from Sevilla.
Nzonzi becomes Roma's 12th signing of the summer, and joins the club on a four-year contract. A member of France's World Cup winning squad, Nzonzi has spent the past three seasons at Sevilla, where he was signed by current Roma sporting director Monchi. He will take the number 42 shirt at Roma. Roma have paid Sevilla €26.65m to sign the 6'4" midfielder, who will provide much needed protection to the back four. "I feel very happy to be here, and to be a new Roma player,” Nzonzi told the club’s website. “I always want to improve – regardless of age, the most important thing is to give your best and work hard. I want to do that, to become a better player and help the team with my play and experience.” Benvenuto, Steven! Daniele Verde has completed a season-long loan move from Roma to Real Valladolid.
The Spanish side have an option to buy the winger at the end of his loan spell. This is Verde's fifth loan spell away from the club since he broke into the first team at Roma in the 2014-15 season. Last season, he scored two goals and added three assists in 30 Serie A matches with Verona. Valladolid will compete in La Liga this season, after winning promotion to the Spanish top flight last year. Good luck, Daniele. Roma defender Alessandro Florenzi has signed a new five-year contract with the club.
Florenzi’s previous deal was set to expire next summer, but the 27-year-old has now renewed until 2023. He will reportedly earn €3m-per-year as a result. Florenzi graduated from the club’s academy in the 2010-11 season, and has progressed through the ranks to become the club’s vice-captain to Daniele De Rossi. In that time, he has only spent one season away from the club - he played for Crotone on loan in 2011-12. The Italy international has featured as a midfielder, winger or right-back for the club, with the latter becoming his most common position over the last few years. Florenzi has played for Roma over 200 times, and is now set to increase that total over the next few years. Roma's place in Pot 2 for the Champions League group stage draw has been confirmed after results in the qualifying rounds.
Roma needed PAOK to beat Basel to have their place in Pot 2 confirmed, and the Greek side delivered, winning 3-0 last night to confirm a 5-1 aggregate win. As a result, Roma will be in Pot 2 for next season's group stage, meaning they are likely to be drawn into an easier group than last year, when they came up against Chelsea, Atletico Madrid and Qarabag. It's the first time Roma have been seeded as highly since 2010-11, when they finished 2nd in a group with Bayern Munich, Basel and CFR Cluj, before being eliminated by Shakhtar in the Round of 16. The result means Roma will avoid the likes of Manchester United, Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham Hotspur in this season's group stages. Last season, Roma made history by progressing as far as the semi-finals, a club record since the competition was rebranded as the Champions League. Confirmed Pot 2 teams: AS Roma, Borussia Dortmund, FC Porto, Manchester United, Napoli, Shakhtar Donetsk, Tottenham Hotspur (final spot to be taken by either Benfica or Liverpool) |
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