Roma will not have too far to travel for their Europa League quarter-final away leg, as they and Milan, two of the three remaining Italian sides in the competition, have been drawn against each other.
Milan-Roma is a fixture that has provided plenty of headlines over the years, but the most recent meeting of the two sides ended up being the final nail in the coffin of previous Giallorossi coach Jose Mourinho.
Roma lost 3-1 away in San Siro on that occasion, with their only goal coming from the penalty spot, courtesy of Leandro Paredes. Yacine Adli, Olivier Giroud and Theo Hernandez sent Stefano Pioli’s side on their way to victory.
The loss to Milan sent Roma down to ninth place in the Serie A table after 20 matches, already five points off Fiorentina, who were in fourth and in the Champions League spots at that stage.
Mourinho’s departure was announced by Roma within 36 hours of the final whistle against Milan. The Special One officially departed the Stadio Olimpico on January 16.
Mourinho had been responsible for providing Roma with their ever ‘major’ European title when they won the inaugural edition of the UEFA Conference League against Feyenoord in 2022.
Mourinho did go on to lead Roma to the Europa League final the following season, but league finishes in Serie A left a little to be desired, as the Giallorossi finished in sixth in both of Mourinho’s two full seasons.
Roma’s league form has improved significantly since Daniele De Rossi was called in to replace Mourinho. The team have only lost one of their seven league matches since then, against title-chasing Inter in February, and now up to fifth in the table, just three points off Bologna in fourth.
What happens when the Giallorossi face Milan over two legs in an entirely different competition remains to be seen , however.
The quarter-finals are set! 😍
Most exciting tie?#UELdraw pic.twitter.com/s70kFqKjOH— UEFA Europa League (@EuropaLeague) March 15, 2024