The inaugural edition of the UEFA Europa Conference League is now in its latter stages, as only four teams: Leicester City, Roma, Marseille, and Feyenoord remain. Each side has had a long journey to get to this juncture, with plenty of ups and downs, thrills and spills, and now, only two games stand between each side and a chance to feature in the final, which will take place in just under a month's time on May 25th.
Here's all you need to know ahead of the semi-finals, which will begin with the first leg being played on Thursday, April 28th.
Preview: Leicester City vs Roma
Leicester City's journey to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals
After finishing fifth in the Premier League last season, Leicester City qualified for the Europa League, but following a third placed finish in their quartet, the Foxes dropped down into the Europa Conference League. Brendan Rodgers's men cruised to a comfortable 7-2 aggregate win over Danish side Randers during their knockout round play-off ties, before battling to secure a narrow 3-2 comprehensive victory over Rennes - despite losing the second leg 2-1. Dutch side PSV Eindhoven proved to be even sterner competition, as following a scoreless draw in the first leg, Leicester had it all to do as they secured a hard-fought 2-1 win in Holland to book their spot in the semi-finals.
Currently in 10th spot in the Premier League, the Europa Conference League represents another chance at silverware for the Foxes, who notably beat Manchester City 1-0 in the Community Shield at the start of this season - but they'll need to find a way past Roma first.
Roma's journey to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals
Jose Mourinho certainly is no stranger to European competition, and the Portuguese tactician will be looking to add a Europa Conference League trophy to his collection, which includes a Europa League title (with Manchester United during the 2016/17 season) and a Champions League prize (with Inter during the 2009/2010 term).
Roma's seventh-placed finish in Serie A meant that the Giallorossi earned a spot in the Europa Conference League after beating Turkish side Trabzonspor 5-1 on aggregate. However, their journey to this juncture hasn't been entirely smooth sailing. Although the Lupi scored a whopping 18 goals during the group stages, they suffered a shock 6-1 loss to Norwegian side Bodo/Glimt - the same team they would eventually meet once again later on in the competition. Nonetheless, after finishing top of their group, Roma successfully powered past Dutch side Vitesse before facing the same Bodo/Glimt side that had caused the major upset in the group stages.
Although the Norwegians again won on their home turf in a match that was shrouded in some controversy off the pitch, Roma showed their superiority at the Stadio Olimpico, beating them 4-0 thanks to a goal from the in-form Tammy Abraham and a hat-trick from Nicolo Zaniolo. Next up will be a tricky test against Leicester, especially considering that Roma's record on English soil in European competitions is quite poor.
Match facts: Leicester City vs Roma
- Roma have won just one of their last 18 European ties in England (L11)
- Leicester are currently unbeaten at home so far in European competition (W4 D2)
Team news: Leicester City vs Roma
Leicester City: Leicester, who are winless in their last three games, have received a huge boost with the return to Jamie Vardy to action after a long-term injury lay-off. However, Both Wilfred Ndidi and Ryan Bertrand are definite absentees, while Jonny Evans and Boubakary Soumare are not expected to participate in this match.
Roma: Nicolo Zaniolo and Bryan Cristiante are definitely out, while Leonardo Spinazzola only just returned to training after nearly a year out and isn't expected to be involved in the starting XI.
Where to watch Leicester City vs Roma live on April 28, 2022
Leicester City vs Roma kick off at 12:00 PST/15:00 EST/20:00 BST/21:00 CET
Match details, result and original broadcast info
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Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
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Preview: Feyenoord vs Marseille
Feyenoord's journey to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals
The Dutch side, who presently sit in third spot in the Eredivisie, booked their ticket here thanks to a well-deserved 6-4 aggregate win over Eastern European outfit Slavia Prague. After successfully navigating their way through two qualifying rounds and one play-off rounds, Feyenoord successfully booked their spot into the group stages, where they finished top of their quartet by a comfortable six points. They easily cruised to a 8-3 aggregate victory over Serbian side Partizan before battling to a 6-4 quarter-finals win against Slavia Prague to earn a slot in the final four, where Marseille will be their next opponent.
Overall, the Rotterdam-based side are unbeaten in their last six games and have just lost one of their last 11 across all comps, meaning that they are in excellent form ahead of this game.
Marseille's journey to the UEFA Europa Conference League semi-finals
Meanwhile, Marseille ended up in the Europa Conference League after finishing third in their Europa League quartet behind Galatasaray and Lazio. There, they easily swept aside Eastern European minnows Qarabag 6-1 in the knockout round play-offs, before surviving two tough round of 16 ties to defeat Basel 4-2 on aggregate. After that, they held their nerve to see PAOK off after winning 2-1 in the first leg and 1-0 in the second, which will certainly have done wonders for their confidence heading into this match.
Like Feyenoord, Marseille have been in top form lately, with wins in 10 of their last 11 games across all comps. Currently in second spot in Ligue 1, Jorge Sampaoli's side are in good stead to secure a Champions League football spot for themselves, but will certainly be fancying their chances at winning this competition, which would be the first time they've won a European title since beating AC Milan 1-0 in the 1993 Champions League final.
Match facts: Feyenoord vs Marseille
- This will be the third meeting between Feyenoord and Marseille
- So far, Marseille have yet to beat Feyenoord, with one draw and one loss so far
Team news: Feyenoord vs Marseille
Feyenoord: Jens Toornstra, Justin Bijlow, and Marcos Senesi all are out injured for the hosts.
Marseille: Both Leonardo Balerdi and Cengiz Under are set to miss this game due to injuries, but the visitors will be able to welcome back several players from a ban, including Bamba Dieng, Gerson, and Boubacar Kamara.
Where to watch Feyenoord vs Marseille live on April 28, 2022
Feyenoord vs Marseille kick off at 12:00 PST/15:00 EST/20:00 BST/21:00 CET
Match details, result and original broadcast info
This match has ended. Below are the original Live broadcast details for this match.
Live TV coverage and streaming in United States
