“We want more titles!” Jonas Hofmann’s hunger for success is far from satisfied after winning the championship. The possible triple means everything for “everyone who is here,” he said in an interview RTL.
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>>> LIVE TICKER: AS Roma vs. Bayer Leverkusen – Europa League quarter-finals
In addition to the treble, the Europa League semi-final against AS Roma is also about revenge for the exit in the same round last year. At that time, Bayer had an unfortunate loss against José Mourinho’s team (0-1, 0-0) and was subsequently annoyed by the Italians’ destructive style of play.
Successful coach Xabi Alonso surprised with his starting line-up in advance, as the striker duo of Victor Boniface and Patrik Schick were not in the starting line-up. Instead, the Spaniard relied on speed at the forefront, and the lightning-fast Amine Adli was allowed to play from the start.
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AS Roma vs. Leverkusen: The expected lineups
AS Roma: Svilar – Karsdorp, Mancini, Smalling, Spinazzola – Cristante, Paredes, Pellegrini – El Shaarawy, Lukaku, Dybala
Bayer Leverkusen: Kovar – Stanisic, Tah, Tapsoba – Frimpong, Andrich, Xhaka, Hincapie – Wirtz, Adli, Grimaldo
It needs the “energy and motivation” from last year’s exit, but the Werkself still have to approach the first leg in Rome on Thursday (9 p.m.) “with sense,” said sports director Simon Rolfes. “Overspeeding is never good.”
Rolfes expects that Rome will play “differently” compared to last year under new coach Daniele De Rossi and that Bayer will also have to “adjust to a different style of play”. Nevertheless, “a win away from home would always be top in the European Cup,” said the 42-year-old.
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This is how you can watch AS Roma – Bayer Leverkusen live:
“Invincible season” still possible for Bayer Leverkusen
The Leverkusen team felt pretty bad almost a year ago. Alonso’s men shot at goal 23 times that May evening, had 72 percent of the ball possession and literally outplayed AS Roma. In vain, in the end it was 0-0 and the end.
The experience has stuck in people’s minds and follows Alonso’s team in their truly exhilarating season – in a positive sense. Trauma as a driving force. “I think the Europa League last year was also one of the foundations for the championship this year – although the games against Rome were a disappointment,” said Rolfes.
He’s not the only one who thinks it’s “fantastic” that it’s going to be against Rome again in the semi-finals. After Bayer advanced in the quarter-finals against West Ham, Xabi Alonso and his assistants were glued to their smartphones; When the semi-final opponent was decided, assistant coach Marcel Daum clenched his fist in joy. Andrich, who broke his metatarsal in the first leg against Rome last year, was also full of anticipation: “It’s not just me that has unfinished business, but the whole team.”
Bayer’s numerous last-minute victories gave them additional confidence in this task. Leverkusen has been unbeaten in 46 competitive games, and the “Invincible season” with a treble without defeat is possible. Recently, Alonso’s team has wobbled worryingly, remaining without a win three times since the early championship – and yet the last-minute kings continue to ride the wave of euphoria.
“We can happily lead a game or score earlier,” joked captain Lukas Hradecky. After being 2-0 down, Andrich once again equalized against VfB Stuttgart in stoppage time at the weekend – and after the celebration, he immediately looked back to the next task: “We want to take the next step into the final.”
with Sports Information Service (SID)