Roma's calamitous season has turned a slight corner in the shape of three consecutive positive results. Back-to-back 1-0 wins over Parma and Venezia in the league, while unimpressive, have kept alive Giallorossi hopes of joining the congested pack fighting for the European places. Wedged between those was the 1-1 draw they secured away at the Dragão last week despite being down to 10 men. Claudio Ranieiri's may not be in sparkling form but things could be worse going into this second leg.
Porto are unlikely to catch Sporting at the top of the Primeira Liga and so this game could become their top priority as they look to win this competition for the first time since they did so in 2011 under now president André Villas-Boas. They are more than capable of picking up a win here and sailing through to the next round but will likely need to be at their best.
Roma vs FC Porto Team News
Alexis Saelemaekers and Bryan Cristante are both suspended and so drop out of the squad. Apart from that, Don Claudio should have all of his big hitters available for selection.
For the visitors, Martim Fernandes and Marko Grujic remain on the sidelines.
Roma vs FC Porto Possible Lineups
Gianluca Mancini came off at half time at the weekend against Parma but all the noise coming out of the camp suggests he will be fine to start here. Devyne Rensch is back from injury and should also make it. There is plenty of danger in the Roma attack in the shape of Paulo Dybala and Artem Dovbyk among others.
Roma Predicted Lineup (3-5-2): Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka; El Shaarawy, Rensch, Kone, Paredes, Pellegrini, Shomurodov; Dybala, Dovbyk
Martin Anselmi rested several key players for Porto's 1-0 win over Farense at the weekend, with one eye firmly on this game. Expect star striker Samu Omorodion to be the key attacking threat, while Stephen Eustaquio and Tiago Djalo are also likely to come back into the fray.
FC Porto Predicted Lineup (3-4-2-1): Diogo Costa; Djalo, Perez, Otavio; João Mário, Eustáquio, Varela, Moura; Borges, Mora; Samu Omorodion
Be sure to head back to Sporticos an hour before kick-off to get updated official lineups and other stats.
Roma vs FC Porto Prediction
This should be a very close encounter, just as the first leg was. Look for the experience of Ranieri and the support of the home crowd to shine through and for the hosts to pick up a narrow win.
Prediction: Roma 2 - 1 Porto (agg. 3-2)
This is certainly the most fascinating tie of this Europa League playoff round, based on how close the first leg was and the calibre of players and clubs involved. If you're watching football on Thursday night, this is the game to watch.
Fans in the UK can watch Roma vs Porto on TV with TNT Sports or via live streaming on the Discovery+ platform.
