Roma-Feyenoord: a final to make history. It's neither the Champions League nor the Europa League, but for Roma this Conference has the same importance, partly because it would be the second international trophy in 95 years of history (the other being the 1961 Fairs Cup), partly because via an abstinence from victories that has lasted for 14 years (2008 Italian Cup). There is a great desire to go back to celebrating, but to succeed we will first have to beat the Dutch side of Feyenoord, who in turn are determined to transform the night in Tirana into an unforgettable appointment.
Roma-Feyenoord: 21 pm, Tv8, Sky and Dazn
The Arena Kombetare will be the stage for this first Conference League final, a cup born amidst general indifference (and a pinch of snobbery) and which instead proved to be a success with the public and money. Of course, the Champions League is another sport and the Europa League also continues to maintain a superior fascination, yet the teams that have gone all the way have shown great interest in the competition, even filling stadiums such as the Olimpico (always sold out in the last matches), the Marseille Velodrome, the Feyenoord Stadion and so on.
The truth is that everyone likes to win, or at least compete, and never mind if it's a less glittering trophy than the others: lifting it becomes a mission, especially after the effort made to get to Tirana. Roma began their journey on 20 August in the preliminaries against Trabzonspor, to then continue in the group with Cska Sofia, Zorya and Bodo Glimt, an opponent who later found themselves in the quarterfinals after the thrilling round of 14 with Vitesse. Finally the semifinal against Leicester, for a total of 15 games, XNUMX considering tonight's one.
The lowest point, without a doubt, was on 21 October in Norway, when the Giallorossi returned home with a sensational 6-1: that evening, however, paradoxically, Mourinho found the right path to build his Roma and today an international trophy that would make him enter the history of the club.
Roma-Feyenoord, Mourinho: "I have positive sensations, let's write history"
“We have reached the end of this season's journey with two finals to play in four days – explained the Special One in the press conference -. The first gave us what we deserved and what we had as our goal: to improve the standings and qualify for the next Europa League. The second one is a historic final, after so many years Roma are back to playing in a European final. To write it, however, you have to win, for me nothing has changed: I thought that experience would help me to live it better, instead everything is like 20 years ago, even if I want to say that the judgment on the season will not change”.
Roma-Feyenoord, the formations: Mkhitaryan or Zaniolo?
The training choices are practically made, but Mou has a doubt that he will carry with him right up to the match. The ballot between Mkhitaryan and Zaniolo is tight, especially as both are recovering from physical problems and therefore not at their best. The certain thing is that neither of them will play 90 minutes, so they will alternate regardless of who wins the starting shirt, at the moment closer for the blue than for the Armenian. The Giallorossi 3-4-2-1 will see Rui Patricio in goal, Mancini, Smalling and Ibanez in defense, Karsdorp, Cristante, Sergio Oliveira and Zalewski in midfield, Pellegrini and Zaniolo (or Mkhitaryan) in the trocar, Abraham in attack.
Slot's Feyenoord will respond with a 4-2-3-1 formation with Marciano in goal, Geertruida, Trauner, Senesi and Malacia in the back, Kokçu and Aursnes in the midfield, Nelson, Til and Sinisterra behind lone striker Dessers.
50 fans expected, fear for public order
The Arena Kombetare can hold 25 spectators, but the fans arriving in Tirana will be at least double that. Hence the concerns for public order, also because the precedent of 2015 is certainly not positive. The images of the Dutch damaging Bernini's Barcaccia went around the world and since then the relationship between the most extreme fringes of the two supporters has been bad: then yesterday, just to reiterate it, some Dutch imbeciles urinated on the Roma bus, spreading the all via social media. In short, the climate is tense and the hope is that the Albanian police, in collaboration with the Italian and Dutch ones, have really thought of everything.
Maxi screen at the Olimpico, Rome without public transport from 22pm to 3am
The many fans who remained in Rome will instead be able to watch the final at the Olimpico, where a giant screen has been set up. The response was sensational, given that the stadium is completely sold out, as if the final were played there and not in Tirana. The event will mobilize a large part of the capital, which is why it was decided, not without controversy, to stop all surface public transport from 22pm to 3am, as well as cordon off the squares "at risk" of celebrations and prohibit the sale of spirits in glass bottles.
