EUROPA LEAGUE
Who is Santiago Giménez and Feyenoord playing against in the Europa League Knockout round?
The Dutch side were drawn against interesting opponents in the Round of 16 of the UEFA Europa League.
The UEFA Europa League Group Stages are over and now it’s time for the knockout rounds. The Round of 16 draw took place on Monday 18 December and the magic balls threw up some wild surprises that only the Europa League knows how to do.
While we’ve been watching the drama unfold in the first round, one player who has consistently grabbed headlines during this continental campaign is Santiago Giménez at Feyenoord. The Mexican forward, who Bolo Zenden highlighted as “a hard working striker” before being labelled “a gem” by Ruud Gullit in interviews with AS this year, has 2 goals and 1 assist so far in the 4 games he played before his side dropped out of Europe’s elite competition. Now, his task is to overcome Feyenoord’s rivals in the Europa League Round of 16: AS Roma.
UEFA Champions League:
What is Feyenoord’s record against Roma?
The Dutch outfit have faced the Italians on a few occasions in the past, most notably in the UEFA Conference League final in the 2021/22 season. On that occasion, the Serie A side claimed the trophy after a slim win in Albania, with Zaniolo getting the only goal of the game after the half-hour mark.
They two sides have also crossed paths in recent seasons in the Europa League, the most memorable being last year, in the quarter-finals. Feyenoord took, thanks to a goal from Wieffer, a 1-0 lead to Rome for the second leg, but it was not to be, with Mourinho’s team pushing them all the way to extra time before tiredness and home advantage took effect, with AS Roma eventually winning 4-1.
Apart from that game, the two teams played each other in the UEFA Europa League in the 2014/15 season, when the 1-1 draw in the Round of 32 first leg in Italy was not enough for Feyenoord to keep themselves in the competition, losing 1-2 at home.
What is Roma’s recent Europa League record?
The Italians have been runners-up twice in the Europa League, with their most recent near miss coming in the 2022–23 UEFA Europa League final against Sevilla last season. The game, a tight affair, went all the way to penalties and eventually the Spanish side won 4-1 from the spot.
When do Feyenoord play AS Roma?
Santi Giménez and co. can use the remaining weeks and months to gather momentum for the tricky two-legged tie. The home leg will be played on February 15 and the return leg, in Italy, will take place on February 22.