Last week's match saw Brighton concede two goals in the first half, courtesy of Roma's star strikers Paulo Dybala and Romelu Lukaku. Gianluca Mancini added a third for Roma, followed by Bryan Cristante's diving header, leaving Brighton with a significant deficit to overcome.
To turn the tie around and extend their Europa League campaign, Brighton would need nothing short of a miracle. No team has ever overturned a four-goal deficit from the first leg of a Europa League tie to progress, making the task even more daunting for Brighton.
Despite their European struggles, Brighton managed to secure a crucial 1-0 victory against Nottingham Forest in the Premier League, maintaining their unbeaten home record and boosting their hopes for another top-six finish.
Roma, on the other hand, are riding high under new management and are on the brink of reaching the quarter-finals. Under the leadership of Daniele De Rossi, they have shown resilience and determination, with only one defeat in their last 11 games.
While Roma's home record in UEFA competitions is formidable, their away form in European knockout games has been less convincing. They face a tough challenge against Brighton, with their previous trips to England yielding limited success.
Despite their past struggles, Roma remains a formidable opponent, and Brighton will need to produce a monumental effort to overcome the odds and progress in the Europa League.
INJURIES & SUSPENSION
As Brighton boss Roberto De Zerbi looks to engineer a remarkable turnaround, he'll have Scottish midfielder Billy Gilmour back in the lineup after serving his Premier League suspension. However, Brighton still has several players sidelined for Thursday's match.Solly March, Kaoru Mitoma, and Jack Hinshelwood are all out with injuries, along with James Milner and Joao Pedro, both dealing with thigh issues. However, Igor and Julio Enciso are expected to be fit enough to make the bench.
The absence of Joao Pedro, Brighton's leading scorer in the Europa League this season with six goals, leaves a void up front. Danny Welbeck and Republic of Ireland striker Evan Ferguson are the likely candidates to fill that role.
With Roma holding a comfortable lead in the tie and focusing on their upcoming match against Sassuolo, manager Daniele De Rossi may opt to rotate his squad. Players like Tommaso Baldanzi, Nicola Zalewski, and Edoardo Bove could come into consideration.
Fortunately for Roma, Paulo Dybala has recovered from his recent injury scare, and Rick Karsdorp is back from a knee problem. However, Rasmus Kristensen and long-term absentee Tammy Abraham remain unavailable.
Romelu Lukaku, if not given a rest, will aim to surpass his personal record for Europa League goals in a single season, needing just one more to equal his tally of eight for Everton in 2014-15. Overall, Lukaku has scored 27 times in UEFA's second-tier tournament, placing him third on the all-time list.
POSSIBLE LINE-UPS
Brighton & Hove Albion possible starting lineup:Steele; Lamptey, Dunk, Van Hecke, Estupinan; Gilmour, Gross; Adingra, Lallana, Fati; Welbeck
Roma possible starting lineup:
Svilar; Celik, Mancini, Ndicka, Zalewski; Bove, Paredes, Pellegrini; Dybala, Lukaku, El Shaarawy
EXPERT PREDICTION
Brighton 2-1 Roma
