Preview: Roma vs Bologna - prediction, team news, lineups

Finely balanced after last week's first leg, Roma and Bologna will decide their all-Italian Europa League tie on Thursday, when they reconvene at Stadio Olimpico.

Vying for a place in the quarter-finals - where either Lille or Aston Villa will await - their last-16 clash began with a tight 1-1 draw.

Match preview

By Thursday night, only one Italian team will be left standing in this season's Europa League, as the two remaining Serie A sides were drawn together.

Roma came from behind to restore parity after the first leg at Stadio Dall'Ara, where Lorenzo Pellegrini cancelled out Federico Bernardeschi's sublime opener and both teams struck the woodwork.

Though they were often on the back foot in Bologna, the Giallorossi's continental campaign has proceeded smoothly so far, having swerved a potentially hazardous playoff by finishing eighth in the league phase.

Twice runners-up in UEFA's second-tier tournament - in 1991 and 2023 - they also lifted the inaugural Conference League trophy in 2022, when Jose Mourinho was in charge.

Furthermore, Roma currently boast a coach with experience of Europa League glory, as Gian Piero Gasperini memorably went all the way with Atalanta less than two years ago.

However, when meeting domestic rivals in Europe, their record is mixed: losing the UEFA Cup final to Inter Milan, then exiting the 2014-15 Europa League to Fiorentina, before eliminating AC Milan from the latter competition in 2024.

Before concluding this all-Italian tie, the capital club have hit a rocky patch in Serie A, losing their grip on a Champions League qualifying spot.

Having spilled a two-goal lead to draw with top-four rivals Juventus, Gasperini's men slipped up again by losing in Genoa, then they came away from Sunday's visit to Como empty-handed.

Though Donyell Malen continued his purple patch by scoring an early penalty, Wesley was then sent off and Roma suffered a 2-1 defeat, allowing their hosts to move three points ahead and into fourth place.

By contrast, Bologna enjoyed some Serie A success last weekend, when a tricky trip to Emilian rivals Sassuolo was decided by Thijs Dallinga's clinical sixth-minute strike.

That inched them back up to eighth, but their domestic campaign has travelled a rocky road since veering off track in November: the Rossoblu have already reached 11 league defeats - three more than throughout the whole of last season.

After a dismal spell in mid-winter, Vincenzo Italiano's side recently strung together five straight wins across all competitions before faltering again, and such inconsistency must concern the former Fiorentina coach.

Following near misses in the Conference League and Coppa Italia while with the Viola, his current team memorably claimed the cup and competed in the Champions League last term - but they are now struggling to clinch a third straight season in Europe.

Italiano and co trail sixth-placed Roma by nine points, and hopes of returning to continental competition surely rest on winning the Europa League.

While that may seem a long shot, they have proven tough to beat so far: including last week's first leg, Bologna are on a record run of 10 European games without defeat, beating a nine-game sequence set in the mid-1960s.

Furthermore, they have won two of their last three games against Roma at Stadio Olimpico; the Rossoblu did lose 1-0 there in August, but that is their sole defeat across the last seven meetings - either home or away.

Roma Europa League form:

W W W W D D

Roma form (all competitions):

D W D L D L

Bologna Europa League form:

W D W W W D

Bologna form (all competitions):

W W W L D W

Team News

Roma can welcome key defender Gianluca Mancini back from a ban that ruled him out of the first leg, while Evan Ndicka also returns after missing Sunday's league defeat, and Wesley's impending suspension only applies to Serie A.

However, Gasperini will still be without several men due to injury: Paulo Dybala (knee), Artem Dovbyk (thigh) and Evan Ferguson (ankle) are all unavailable.

Matias Soule is also struggling with a muscular problem, while Zeki Celik reported a minor calf issue and had to be withdrawn against Como.

Due to a lack of attacking options, Malen will be asked to start again: within two months of his arrival, the Dutch striker is already Roma's leading league scorer.

Meanwhile, Bologna can recall club captain Lewis Ferguson, who served a domestic suspension on Sunday, but first choice left-back Juan Miranda must now serve a one-match UEFA ban.

Ex-Roma goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski suffered a hamstring injury against Sassuolo, so Federico Ravaglia - a regular in cup competitions - may be asked to deputise.

Having starred in the first leg - recording 10 dribbles for the first time in Europe, on his 59th continental appearance - Bernardeschi should beat stiff competition to start.

Riccardo Orsolini, Nicolo Cambiaghi, Jonathan Rowe and Benjamin Domiguez are also in contention to support either Dallinga or Santiago Castro up front.

Roma possible starting lineup:

Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Cristante, Kone, Wesley; Pisilli, Pellegrini; Malen

Bologna possible starting lineup:

Ravaglia; Zortea, Lucumi, Vitik, Lykogiannis; Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega; Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe

We say: Roma 1-0 Bologna (Roma win 2-1 on aggregate)

After posting two defeats and a draw from three consecutive away games, Roma return to the Olimpico, where they usually raise their game in front of a partisan home crowd.

While Bologna were better in the first leg, their hosts have plenty of recent European knockout experience and should narrowly edge over the line.

For data analysis of the most likely results, scorelines and more for this match please click here.