Dec 19, 2023 at 9:32 AM Update: 39 minutes ago
Gernot Trauner and Justin Bijlow were a bit shocked on Monday when Feyenoord was again linked to AS Roma in the draw for the interim round of the Europa League. The duo is convinced that the Rotterdam team will win against the Italian club this time.
Feyenoord had to bow their heads to Roma in Europe over the past two seasons. Coach Arne Slot’s team lost the Conference League final to the Romans (1-0) in May 2022. A season later the quarter-finals of the Europa League were the final destination (1-0 win and 4-1 loss).
“It sounded a bit like a joke,” defenseman Trauner countered Rijnmond about the draw. “We have been to Rome many times, not only for AS Roma, but also for Lazio. This will be the fourth time.”
“We probably would have preferred to play somewhere else, because now it seems like we are only going to Rome. But it is a good challenge for us. Last season we almost beat them. This time we will beat them and reward ourselves.”
Bijlow: ‘Now we are going to catch Roma’
Goalkeeper Bijlow already took into account a tough draw. “I said beforehand that it would be Roma or Olympique Marseille. Your first reaction is of course: again! But those will be two intense matches again. Now we have to win them.”
Feyenoord starts the double confrontation with a home match on February 15. The return in the Italian capital is on February 22. The winner advances to the round of 16.
Feyenoord closes the calendar year on Wednesday with the cup match against FC Utrecht. The Rotterdam team finished third in the group stage of the Champions League behind Atlético Madrid and Lazio. Slot’s formation is ten points behind leader PSV in the Eredivisie.
Intermediate round draw
- Feyenoord-AS Roma
- AC Milan-Stade Rennais
- RC Lens-SC Freiburg
- BSC Young Boys-Sporting CP
- Benfica-Toulouse FC
- SC Braga-Qarabag
- Galatasaray-Sparta Prague
- Shakhtar Donetsk-Olympique Marseille
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2023-12-19 08:32:00
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