Brighton and Hove Albion have drawn AS Roma in the Europa League round of 16 as Roberto De Zerbi’s side are set to continue their first campaign of European football.
De Zerbi’s Side To Face Roma In Europa League Round of 16
How Brighton Made It To This Stage
The Seagulls finished top of their group thanks to an 88th-minute Joao Pedro winner in a 1-0 victory over Marseille in the final game of the group stage, which saw them leapfrog the French side who slipped to second.
This achievement saw Brighton enter Friday’s draw as one of the eight seeded teams.
Pedro is the leading scorer in the Europa League this season with six goals as the South Coast side escaped a tricky group also containing AEK Athens and Ajax.
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After a slow start to the group, amassing just one point from the opening two fixtures, De Zerbi’s men won the final four games including home and away clashes against the Dutch giants.
The Seagulls secured qualification for the tournament after being guided to a sixth-place finish in the Premier League last season in the manager’s first campaign with the club.
Roma’s Campaign So Far
Roma qualified for the round of 16 after defeating Feyenoord on penalties on Thursday following two 1-1 draws against the Dutch side in the play-off stages.
The Italian side were playing Feyenoord after finishing second in their Europa League group behind Slavia Prague.
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This play-off fixture was a repeat of the 2021/22 Europa Conference League final which saw Jose Mourinho’s team come out 1-0 victors.
Now under Daniele De Rossi, they sit in sixth place in Serie A 22 points behind leaders Inter Milan but have won four of their last five league fixtures.
Brighton will look to nullify the threat of forwards Romelu Lukaku and Paulo Dybala who have 17 league goals between them this term.
When The Europa League Games Will Take Place
As a seeded team, Brighton will travel to Rome for the first leg on March 7 before hosting De Rossi’s side at the Amex Stadium a week later on March 14.
The two legs fall on either side of a home Premier League clash against Nottingham Forest.
