Can Roma reach the Europa League playoffs

The 2024/25 season has been nothing short of a rollercoaster for AS Roma.

A busy summer transfer window saw the capital club clinch high-profile signings Artem Dovbyk, Matias Soule, Alexis Saelemaekers, Mario Hermoso, and Mats Hummels.

However, the team’s slow start in the first month led to the dismissal of manager and club legend Daniele De Rossi. Though, his replacement Ivan Juric didn’t fare any better. The Croatian’s stint lasted less than two months, and he was ultimately replaced by the legendary Claudio Ranieri in late November.

Ranieri is a pragmatic coach who works well with what’s given. So far, he has had mixed results with Roma, bringing in two new names in January, Pierluigi Gollini and Devyne Rensch. Despite the mixed results by all three coaches leading Roma this year, Roma is still in the race for all competitions they’ve entered at the start of the year.

Of course, the Serie A title was never on the table, but the Giallorossi are still within reach of a European place despite their disastrous start to the campaign. Currently ninth in the table with 30 points, Roma trail fifth-placed Juventus by only seven points—so they’ll have to play their cards right.

As for the Coppa Italia, the capital club await a huge quarterfinal showdown next month against Milan, who have experienced their own struggles throughout the season.

Meanwhile, Roma’s aspirations in the Europa League are still up in the air. They’re hanging on to a playoff position by just one point—forcing them to earn a good result against Eintracht Frankfurt in their last game of the league round on Thursday.

Though, their slow start in Serie A seemingly forces Roma to make the Europa League a priority if they want to snap their over half-decade absence from the Champions League. Additional motivation for the Romans needs to be that their city rivals Lazio are topping the table now.

With the highly-experienced Ranieri at the helm, the Giallorossi could push hard in the competition should they secure a playoff place against the Germans. In fact, a draw would be enough to secure a playoff spot in most scenarios—but a win would clinch a place without worrying about other results.

Roma’s performances in Europe have over dramatically over the past decade. The arrival of Jose Mourinho in 2021 helped propel the club to new heights. In his maiden season, the Special One guided the club to their first European trophy—winning the inaugural UEFA Conference League title in 2022.

One year later, the Giallorossi reached their second straight final when they faced Sevilla for the Europa League title. After being denied a clear hand ball late in the game, the Spaniards ultimately outlasted the Giallorossi in penalties.

Those unaware of Roma’s recent accomplishments in Europe are free to bet on Swansea City matches instead. Meanwhile, it’s worth revisiting the capital club’s success with the likes of Graziani, Conti, Toninho, Falcao, Nela, Tancredi, and Nappi.

The 1984 Champions League final in Rome, where AS Roma faced Liverpool for the coveted title, ignited a continental rivalry that remains intense to this day. In a match that saw many Sportsbet outlets pinning Roma as favorites due to home-field advantage, we saw the heartbreak of home fans and their team that lost the game on penalties.

This defeat was not taken lightly by locals, and the city was put on fire, and riots broke out. As one could have guessed, many Liverpool fans were caught in the crossfire. To this day, Italy’s main police force, the Carabinieri, are always on alert when these two sides face-off in the Italian capital since you never know what’s going to transpire.

While the events of the 1984 final led to a rift with Liverpool, Roma also aren’t fond of fellow English sides Manchester United and Chelsea, as the London Blues are known to have close ties to their local rivals, Lazio.

In recent years, due to Jose Mourinho and during his era, the team was a menace to play in the knockout phases of the European competitions. Because of this, a new rivalry emerged in recent seasons between Roma and Feyenoord—with the Giallorossi besting the Dutch side in back-to-back years.

Though, these rivalries will be put aside when Roma faces Eintracht Frankfurt on the 30th of January in a match that could decide their European fate.

With teams such as Lazio, Bilbao, Manchester United, Tottenham, Lyon, Galatasaray, and Jose Mourinho’s current team, Fenerbahce, still in the competition among many other big teams, Roma has something to look forward to in Europe. Their fans could get to meet some of their old rivals.