Turkish Trabzonspor to host Roma

By Selcuk Bugra Gokalp

ANKARA (AA) - Trabzonspor on Thursday will play against Italy's AS Roma in a first leg match of the UEFA European Conference League playoff round.

The match will be played at Senol Gunes Sports Complex in the Black Sea city of Trabzon at 20.30 local time.

The Turkish team is not expected to be missing any players, as Koita, Abdulkadir Omur, and Dorukhan Tokoz all recently recovered from injuries.

With a ruptured Achilles tendon, experienced left-back Leonardo Spinazzola of Roma will be unable to make the game.

Midfielder Gonzalo Villar and defender Chris Smalling also succumbed to injuries and will not be included in Roma’s match squad.

Italian powerhouse AS Roma are considered favorites, as they boast such players as Lorenzo Pellegrini, Tammy Abraham, Henrikh Mkhitariyan, and Stephan El Shaarawy.

But world-class manager Jose Mourinho's latest transfer for Roma, English striker Abraham, will sit out Thursday’s game as his name is still unregistered with the club.

​​​​​​​Italian star midfielder Lorenzo Pellegrini is expected to be the Italian team’s top threat.

Veteran midfielder Mkhitariyan and Italian left-winger El Shaarawy may also be poised to cause some trouble for the Trabzon team.