Brighton and Hove Albion under the tutelage of Roberto Di Zerbi made their first-ever European appearance in the UEFA Europa League this season and the Seagulls have held their own among some of the most experienced teams in Europe.
The Seagulls earned themselves a place in the group stages of Europe’s second-tier competition for the first time after an impressive sixth-place finish in the English Premier League last season, their highest premier league finish since gaining top-flight promotion in 2016/17.
Despite being European newbies, Di Zerbi’s Brighton and Hove Albion have given a pretty solid account of themselves on the continental scene, winning four out of six group stage matches to finish top of a group that boasts the likes of Olympique Marseille and Ajax Amsterdam.
Brighton in the Europa League
Brighton’s appearance in the UEFA Europa League this season is their first-ever appearance in any European competition.
With the way their team has played so far in the competition, fans of the club will be quite positive about how far their team can go in this competition and they will dare to dream, after all, football is full of surprises.
After a solid group stage campaign display, Brighton and Hove Albion are through to the round of 16 where a stern test against last season’s finalists AS Roma lies in wait. It remains to be seen if the Seagulls will have enough in them to overcome such experienced opponents.
Brighton in the 2023/24 Europa League
Brighton and Hove Albion are getting set to lock horns with AS Roma on March 7 and March 14 respectively in the round of 16.
The tickets for this exciting match-up are fast selling. You can get Brighton and Hove Albion tickets on Seatsnet.com.
Brighton’s impressive sixth-place finish in the English Premier League last season earned them a spot in this season’s UEFA Europa League group stages. The group stage draw placed the Seagulls in group B alongside the likes of Olympique Marseille, Ajax Amsterdam, and AEK Athens.
Brighton amassed a total of 13 points from six group stage matches (4W, 1D, 1L) to finish top of group B and head straight into the round of 16. They scored 10 goals and conceded 5 goals.
Brighton and Hove Albion lack experience at this level and this will be a factor their highly experienced opponents will be looking to exploit. However, looking at how well the Seagulls have held their own in the competition so far, it is clear that what they lack in terms of experience, they make up for with a high level of hunger and desire for success.
Brighton’s opponents: AS Roma
AS Roma began this season under the stewardship of “The Special One” Jose Mourinho who led them to back-to-back European finals for the first time in a very long time. However, the Portuguese has since been sacked by the club due to recent performances which have been below par.
The Giallorossi under Mourinho’s guidance put on a pretty solid display in the group stage of the competition recording 4W, 1D, 1L to finish in second place behind Slavia Praha with 12 points from six games and book their place in the Europa League knockout play-off rounds.
Roma faced Feyenoord Rotterdam in the Europa League knockout play-off rounds with a new manager at the helm of affairs in Daniele De Rossi. The teams played out a 2-2 draw on aggregate over two legs, needing a penalty shootout to decide which of the teams would carry on to the round of 16. Roma emerged 4-2 shootout winners to set a date with the Seagulls in the round of 16.
Daniele De Rossi himself is inexperienced at this level but the young manager will be looking to rely on the experience of his players as most of them remain from the team that fell short in the Europa League final last season.
Brighton’s record against AS Roma
There have been no prior meetings between Brighton and AS Roma.
This fixture will be the first between both teams and it promises to be a very watchable encounter. Brighton will fancy their chances against a Roma side still in transition owing to changes in the dugout while AS Roma will be banking on their wealth of experience to enable them get one over the European newbies.
Brighton vs AS Roma match predictions
Brighton and Hove Albion vs AS Roma is slated for March 7 and March 14, 2024. The Seagulls will travel to the Stadio Olimpico in Rome on March 7 for the first leg of this tie and then welcome the Giallorossi to the American Express Community Stadium on March 14 for the return fixture.
We expect to see Brighton play a flexible, entertaining, and attacking brand of football that has become synonymous with the club since the arrival of Roberto De Zerbi.
It is expected that AS Roma will be conservative in their approach to the game in both legs, they will look to display their defensive prowess in the containment of Brighton’s attack while looking to catch the Seagulls on the counterattack.
The hunger and desire of Brighton vs the experience of AS Roma? We expect the hunger and desire of the Seagulls to propel them past the Giallorossi.
Brighton and Hove Albion to edge this one with a 4-3 aggregate result.
