Roma look to Donyell Malen and Stephan El Shaarawy for the Europa League all-Italian derby, as Bologna trust Santiago Castro and Federico Bernardeschi.
It kicks off at the Stadio Olimpico at 20.00 GMT (21.00 CET).
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LECCE, ITALY – JANUARY 06: Lameck Banda of US Lecce competes for the ball with Stephan El Shaarawy of AS Roma during the Serie A match between US Lecce and AS Roma at Stadio Via del Mare on January 06, 2026 in Lecce, Italy. (Photo by Maurizio Lagana/Getty Images)
The first leg ended 1-1 at the Stadio Dall’Ara, meaning it is all to play for in the Eternal City for a place in the Europa League quarter-finals.
Whoever wins will go through to face either Aston Villa or Lille.
Roma continue to have a serious injury crisis, missing Paulo Dybala, Matias Soulé, Artem Dovbyk and Evan Ferguson, while Lorenzo Venturino is not on the UEFA list.
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Stephan El Shaarawy is chosen to start in support of centre-forward Malen, despite Lorenzo Pellegrini scoring in the first leg.
Once again, Bryan Cristante and Niccolò Pisilli will share the task of pushing into a more advanced position from midfield at different times in the game.
It has been a difficult period for Roma, who managed just two draws in four competitive games, sliding from fourth to sixth in the Serie A table.
ROME, ITALY – JANUARY 22: Niccolo Pisilli of AS Roma celebrates with his teammate Kostas Tsimikas after scoring the opening goal during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 League Phase MD7 match between AS Roma and VfB Stuttgart at Stadio Olimpico on January 22, 2026 in Rome, Italy. (Photo by Paolo Bruno/Getty Images)
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Bologna have problems too, because Juan Miranda is suspended, while former Roma goalkeeper Lukasz Skorupski is ruled out after picking up an injury at the weekend in the Serie A their 1-0 victory away to Sassuolo.
It means Federico Ravaglia has to take over the gloves, while Nikola Moro is not at 100 per cent and Lorenzo De Silvestri isn’t on the UEFA list.
Once again, Riccardo Orsolini is left on the bench, as Bernardeschi and Jonathan Rowe are in fine form supporting Castro upfront.
The Stadio Olimpico is a special place for Bologna, as this is where they beat Milan last season to win the Coppa Italia and qualify for the Europa League.
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When these sides met here in Serie A back in August 2025, it ended 1-0 for Roma with a Wesley goal on his debut.
BOLOGNA, ITALY – MARCH 12: Santiago Castro of Bologna is challenged by Evan Ndicka of AS Roma during the UEFA Europa League 2025/26 Round of 16 First Leg match between Bologna FC 1909 and AS Roma at Stadio Renato Dall’Ara on March 12, 2026 in Bologna, Italy. (Photo by Alessandro Sabattini/Getty Images)
Roma vs. Bologna line-ups
Roma: Svilar; Mancini, Ndicka, Hermoso; Celik, Koné, Pisilli, Wesley; Cristante; El Shaarawy, Malen
Roma bench: De Marzi, Gollini, Rensch, Pellegrini, El Aynaoui, Tsimikas, Ziolkowski, Vaz, Ghilardi, Zaragoza
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Bologna: Ravaglia; Zortea, Vitik, Lucumì, Joao Mario; Ferguson, Freuler, Pobega; Bernardeschi, Castro, Rowe
Bologna bench: Pessina, Franceschelli, Moro, Orsolini, Heggem, Casale, Odgaard, Lykogiannis, Sohm, Dallinga, Cambiaghi, Dominguez
Ref: Kovacs (ROU)