Leverkusen vs Roma Match Preview and Prediction

•Roma are unbeaten in 11 Europa League home games

•Roma have lost only two of their last 22 home matches in all competitions

•Leverkusen have drawn their last three matches in all competitions

HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS FOR WOLVES

Robert Andrich’s dramatic stoppage-time equaliser in Saturday’s 2-2 draw at home to Stuttgart extended Bayer Leverkusen’s remarkable unbeaten run to 46 games and they will be hoping to maintain that spirit for Thursday’s Europa League semi-final trip to Roma.

Xabi Alonso’s side have already clinched the Bundesliga title and they will have high hopes of making that a treble by adding the Europa League and the DFB Pokal, in which they face second-tier team Kaiserslautern in the final.

Leverkusen dumped out last season’s Europa Conference League winners West Ham in the last round, having earlier come past Azerbaijani outfit Qarabag, but this won’t be an easy test against Roma.

The Serie A side were runners-up to Sevilla in the Europa League last season, losing on a penalty shootout, and it is a competition that regularly sees them raise their game.

Roma have defeated Brighton and Milan in the last two rounds, beating the Seagulls 4-0 at the Stadio Olimpico and edging past their Italian rivals 2-1.

That means the Wolves are unbeaten in 11 Europa League home games over this season and last, winning ten times which includes a 1-0 victory at this stage of the competition against Leverkusen last term.

DE ROSSI HAS MADE AN INSTANT IMPACT

It is also worth noting that Roma have improved significantly since replacing Jose Mourinho with Daniele De Rossi, with them losing only three of their 20 matches since he took charge as manager.

If Roma are to have any chance of qualifying then they are going to need to pick up a positive result at home and, with them losing only two of their last 22 games at the Stadio Olimpico, Leverkusen should expect to be embroiled in a battle.

The German side are full of belief and ending their lengthy unbeaten run is going to prove difficult.

But Alonso’s men have drawn three straight matches, which includes a 1-1 draw away at West Ham in the second leg of their quarter-final triumph.

Leverkusen also shared the spoils in a four-goal thriller at Qarabag in the previous round, so Roma will feel they can at least emulate those achievements at their home fortress.

Correct-score punters should plunge for a 1-1 draw, which has been the scoreline in Leverkusen’s last two away trips at West Ham and Dortmund.