Roma’s season has gotten off to a rocky start, and the team is already feeling the absence of De Rossi. Currently sitting in 9th place in Serie A, they face a challenging fixture against Inter next weekend. In the Europa League, Roma has also struggled, starting with a 1-1 home draw against Athletic Bilbao, followed by a narrow 1-0 defeat away to Elfsborg.
Before the international break, Roma managed another 1-1 draw, this time against Monza in Serie A, leaving them with just two wins from nine matches in all competitions this season.
Meanwhile, Dynamo Kyiv has yet to secure any points in the Europa League, having suffered defeats to Lazio (3-0) and Hoffenheim (2-0), failing to score in either match. However, things are looking brighter for them in the Ukrainian Premier League, where they sit atop the table. Undefeated in their domestic campaign, Dynamo has racked up seven wins in their first eight matches and will aim to continue this form against Obolon next weekend.
Roma faces a few injury concerns. Summer signing Enzo Le Fée has struggled to adjust to Serie A and is currently sidelined, as is Saelemaekers, who has only featured in two league games so far. Stephan El-Shaarawy, who has provided an assist this season, might also miss the match after picking up an injury against Monza.
On the positive side, Hummels, who was unwell for the Monza game, is expected to return. Paulo Dybala, who has scored just once in five Serie A appearances, has yet to hit top form after a summer transfer saga linked him with a move to Saudi Arabia, though he ultimately stayed in Rome.
For Dynamo Kyiv, Bragaru is eligible again after serving a suspension following his red card against Lazio. However, they will be without young prospect Ponomarenko (18) and Ceballos, who has one goal in three league appearances this season.
Key players like Vitaliy Buyalskyy, who has scored three goals in the Ukrainian Premier League, are expected to feature alongside Pikhalyonok, Rubchynskyi, and seasoned international Andriy Yarmolenko, all of whom have found the net twice in the league.
Prediction
Dynamo Kyiv’s away games in the Europa League tend to be low-scoring, with 17 of their last 19 matches on the road producing fewer than 2.5 goals, including the last nine in a row. Roma has had a similar trend, with 14 of their last 19 home games in the competition featuring two goals or fewer. Both teams are likely to find it difficult to break through each other’s defenses.
Prediction: AS Roma 0-0 Dynamo Kyiv.
