Roma-Braga: after the first match in the championship Ranieri aims at Europe, formations and TV times

Rome, December 11, 2024 – There is no time to catch your breath in this football season, between the championship, cups and Europe it is a whirlwind of challenges, an up and down of emotions that does not allow you to rejoice in the successes or even despair over the defeats. There is therefore no room to get carried away by enthusiasm in the Romanista house, because Tomorrow at the Olimpico it's time for the Europa League and against the Rome there will be Braga. The Portuguese are a team with a long European tradition, especially in recent times, where they have established themselves as the true fourth force in the Portuguese championship. A team not new to clashes with Italian teams. For the Giallorossi, a match to win at almost any cost, with kick-off set for 18:45 on Thursday 12 December 2024.

The third course of Claudio Ranieri in giallorosso did not start under the best star: the debut calendar for the coach was complicated to say the least. The two matches against Napoli e Atalanta, interspersed with a European debut against the Tottenham, perhaps the strongest formation, on paper, of this edition of Europa League. On paper a return to Europe prohibitive for Sir Claudio, who however has begun to show a new version of the Rome, and was rewarded with the point snatched at New White Hart Lane against Spurs. In the league after two very difficult debut matches, against Lecce the turning point came with an important 4-1 against the Salento team and the aim is to repeat that success in Europe too. If in Serie A the victory was missing since October 31st, in continental competitions the Giallorossi have been fasting since the 24th of the same month, when they beat 1-0 Dynamo KievThe push from the Olimpico, just like it did in the match against Lecce, can once again become a factor in definitively breaking the negative spiral that had absorbed the team in this first part of the season.

Lo Sporting Braga for his part he will not want to play the role of the sacrificial victim in this European challenge. The red and whites from the north of Portugal are not having an easy season on their part. In the Portuguese championship they are already distanced from the top trio composed of Sporting Lisbon, Benfica e Harbour, forced to battle with Casa Particular in Santa Clara e Vitoria Guimaraes for fourth place, currently in the hands of the newly promoted Azores. Not only that, although in the standings Europa League the Portuguese currently have one point more than Rome, but in terms of the difficulty of the calendar they still have to face their most complicated respective challenges, namely the two Roman teams: Giallorossi on this day, Lazio on the last. For this reason, for the Biancorossi every point can be fundamental to obtain a place among the best twenty-four of the competitions and thus take part in the knockout phase. For tomorrow's challenge, Carvalhal's boys certainly do not start as favorites, but Bruma and his companions are a group rich in experience and although less talented than in the past, certainly not to be underestimated.

The official designation of the Uefa for the challenge of Europa League between Rome e Braga he predicted how it will be Daniel Siebert, of the Berlin section, to referee the match at the Olimpico. The refereeing sextet will be all German, with the Berlin referee, who will be assisted by Jan Seidel and Rafael Foltyn, with fourth official Daniel Schlager, while Soren Storks and Bastian Dankert will be in the Var room. For him no precedent neither with the Giallorossi nor with the Portuguese, while he has refereed 12 times Italian clubs and on 2 occasions the National team with a record of 6 wins, 6 draws and 2 defeats. One of the most active referees of the season, for him it will be match number 19 of this championship, number 6 on the international stage between Champions e Nations League, to which he adds 6 games of Bundesliga, 2 of Bundesliga 2, 1 of League 3 (German C-Series) and 2 of DFB Pokal, in addition to two other direct matches away from Germany in Hellenic Super League e King's Cup (Saudi Arabia).

Probable lineups

Ranieri continues with the three-man defense and does not seem to be contemplating any particular changes compared to the winning formation on Saturday evening. In front of Silker the three-way line is still ready with Mancini, Hummels e N'Dicka, while a potential surprise is expected in midfield where Abdullahmid will probably take the place of Steel in the right lane. Confirmed Angelino on the opposite side, the couple will still act in the middle Koné e Paredes. Forward dovbyk should return to the center of the attack after overcoming the flu-related problems behind him Dybala e Saelemaekers.

Carvalhal is moving towards confirming its three-man line at the back, with Ferreira, Niakate e Arrey-Mbi to protect MatheusThe keys to the midfield will be entrusted to the highly experienced Joao Moutinho, which will probably be joined by Oak, but watch out for the competition from André Horta. On the outside they are moving towards confirmation Roger e Gabri MartinezThe offensive trident starts again with the two certainties on the lanes: the captain Ricardo Horta and his deputy Bruma, while in the center Fernandez is slightly favored over El Ouazzani.

Rome (3-4-2-1) Svilar; Mancini, Hummels, N'Dicka; Abdulhamid, Koné, Paredes, Angeliño; Saelemaekers, Dybala; Dovbyk. Coach Claudio Ranieri.

Sporting Braga (3-4-3) Matheus; Ferreira, Niakaté, Arrey-Mbi; Roger, Moutinho, Carvalho, Gabri Martinez; R. Horta, Fernandez, Bruma. All. Carlos Carvalhal.

Where to watch the match

The match between Rome e Sporting Braga of the Olympic Stadium, valid for the sixth day of the group stage of Europa League, will begin at 18pm on Thursday 45 December 12. There will be various options available to attend the match. The match will be visible on satellite on the platform Sky, to the channels Sky Sports One (channel 201) e Sky Sports channel 252. The match will also be available in streaming on NOW for those who have subscribed to the platform and on Sky Go for those who have a season ticket Sky. You can follow the match by downloading the app on your smart TV or by connecting the TV to a PlayStation 4/5, Xbox console, or to a TIMVISION BOX, to an Amazon Fire TV Stick or Google Chromecast device. Viewing also possible via app or website NOW on tablets, PCs and smartphones. The commentary of the challenge will be entrusted to Riccardo Gentile and Beppe Bergomi.