Roma will travel to Spain this Thursday to face Real Betis in the fourth group stage game of the 2022/23 UEFA Europa League season.
Venue: Estadio Benito Villamarín (Sevilla)
Key Statistics
Real Betis have won their last six games at home.
The hosts have scored 2+ goals in four of their six home games this season.
They have kept just one clean sheet in their last five games.
AS Roma have won their last two away games, scoring twice in each game.
The visitors have kept just one clean sheet away from home this season.
They scored in each of their UEFA Europa League (UEL) games this season.
Head to head
This is the second meeting between both sides. Real Betis won the first meeting.
Latest performances in all competitions
Real Betis: D-W-L-W-W
Roma: W-L-W-L-W
Real Betis
After a frustrating outing in La Liga over the weekend, Real Betis will turn their attention to their European engagements, where they hope to win their fourth game of the campaign.
The hosts have been in decent form this season in the league as well as in the Europa League. But they suffered a disappointing goalless draw against Real Valladolid last weekend, taking their winless run in La Liga to two games in a row (D1, L1). The result means that they now sit outside of the top four in the league, albeit level on points with fourth-placed Atletico Madrid who have a richer goal difference.
But in the Europa League, they have a 100% win rate, having beaten all three teams in Group C while scoring seven times and conceding three. Their last outing in Europe was a dramatic comeback 2-1 victory in Rome last Thursday.
Another victory here would see Manuel Pellegrini’s men seal progression to the knockout stages for a second consecutive season. Given their impressive 100% win rate from the opening five home competitive matches they’ve played this season, home fans might expect no less.
The Green and Whites have also kept four clean sheets in their last six outings at the Estadio Benito Villamarín (W6) and remain unbeaten in their three historical European home clashes with Italian opposition (W2, D1). The hosts haven’t lost any of their last ten home UEL group stage matches (W6, D4), and will fancy their chances of getting another win in this game.
Possible Real Betis starting line-up
Rui Silva; Martin Montoya, German Pezzella, Victor Ruiz Torre, Alex Moreno; Guido Rodriguez, William Carvalho; Rodrigo Sanchez, Sergio Canales, Luis Henríquez; Borja Iglesias.
Injured: Juanmi Jimenez, Nabil Fekir
Doubtful: Victor Camarasa
Suspended: None
AS Roma
Jose Mourinho’s AS Roma side will be desperate to avenge their 2-1 loss in the reverse fixture and get their Europa League season back on track when they travel to Sevilla on Thursday.
Roma come into this round of games sitting in third place in their group after losing to Ludogorets in the first round and to Betis last week. Their only win so far have come in a 3-0 win over HJK at home.
This is the first time the Giallorossi have suffered two group-stage defeats at this stage of the competition and so they require results fast to avoid missing out on the next round of the competition for a fifth consecutive time.
But their chances of getting a win here have been complicated by injuries to Paulo Dybala and Nicolo Zaniolo in Sunday’s 2-1 victory over Leece. And so the inaugural winners of the UEFA Europa Conference League will have to travel to Real Betis without two of their key players.
Despite their issues with injury and form, it’s not all doom and gloom for Mourinho’s side who have impressively found the net in 22 consecutive away games in Europe. The visitors have won their two most recent Serie A away outings, scoring before the break in both.
However, I Giallorossi will need to break an unwanted record to triumph here as the last time they won 3+ competitive away matches in a row was during the summer of 2020.
Possible AS Roma starting line-up
Rui Patricio; Gianluca Mancini, Chris Smalling, Roger Ibanez; Nicola Zalewski, Bryan Cristante, Nemanja Matić, Matias Vina; Lorenzo Pellegrini, Tammy Abraham; Andrea Belotti.
Injured: Georginio Wijnaldum, Ebrima Darboe, Rick Karsdorp, Zeki Celik, Paulo Dybala
Doubtful: None
Suspended: Nicolo Zaniolo
Prediction
Real Betis 1-0 AS Roma
