Roma’s season has not started as planned, and the absence of De Rossi is already making an impact. Currently sitting 9th in Serie A, they face a challenging fixture against Inter next weekend.
Their Europa League campaign has been tough, starting with a 1-1 draw at home against Athletic Bilbao, followed by a 1-0 defeat away at Elfsborg.
Just before the international break, Roma drew 1-1 with Monza in Serie A, meaning they’ve only secured two wins in their last nine matches across all competitions.
On the other hand, Dynamo Kyiv has also struggled in the Europa League, failing to earn any points so far after losing 3-0 to Lazio and 2-0 to Hoffenheim without scoring a single goal. However, Dynamo’s domestic form is much brighter, as they sit atop the Ukrainian Premier League standings.
Undefeated, Dynamo has won seven of their first eight league matches and will be looking to maintain their momentum against Obolon next weekend.
Roma has several injury concerns. Enzo Le Fée, who joined from Stade Rennais, is still finding it difficult to adjust to Italian football and remains sidelined, as does Saelemaekers, who has only made two Serie A appearances.
Stephan El-Shaarawy, who has contributed an assist this season, may also miss out after suffering an injury in the match against Monza.
On the positive side, Hummels, who was unwell against Monza, is expected to return. Paulo Dybala, with just one goal in five Serie A matches, has struggled to find his best form after a summer transfer saga linked him with a move to Saudi Arabia. Ultimately, he remained in Rome, much to the delight of the fans.
For Dynamo Kyiv, Bragaru, who missed the second group stage game due to a red card against Lazio, is back in the lineup. However, young talent Ponomarenko and Ceballos, who has one goal in three league appearances this season, will be unavailable.
Key players expected to feature for Dynamo include Vitaliy Buyalskyy, who has scored three goals in the Ukrainian Premier League, along with Pikhalyonok, Rubchynskyi, and seasoned international Andriy Yarmolenko, who have all scored twice in the league.
Prediction
Dynamo Kyiv’s Europa League away games tend to feature few goals, with 17 of their last 19 away fixtures producing under 2.5 goals, including their last nine straight matches.
Roma’s home games in this competition have followed a similar trend, with 14 of their previous 19 matches also ending with two goals or fewer. Given these patterns, this match is likely to be another low-scoring affair.
Prediction: AS Roma 0-0 Dynamo Kyiv
