Roma vs Viktoria Plzen Prediction: Get on 9/2 Soule for Giallorossi opener

Roma have the perfect chance to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat to Inter Milan when they host Viktoria Plzen at the Stadio Olimpico in the Europa League on Thursday (21:00 local, 20:00 BST, live on TNT Sports 6).

The Giallorossi were also beaten on home turf by Lille on their last European appearance, so the pressure will be on Gian Piero Gasperini’s side to return to winning ways. Below is my Roma vs Viktoria Plzen predictions, along with the latest team news and Betfred’s match odds.

Team News

Gasperini could welcome back wing-back Angelino after he missed the 1-0 defeat to Inter, while the former Atalanta boss will choose between Lorenzo Pellegrini and Paulo Dybala in the attacking-midfield line.

Artem Dovbyk is likely to come in for the start as the ‘prima punta’ up front, with Evan Ferguson among those who could also be considered in the attacking department.

New Plzen boss Martin Hysky will be looking to build on a narrow victory over Bohemians on Sunday in his first game in charge, with Jan Paluska and Milan Havel potentially fighting over a single spot in defence.

Up top, Rafiu Durosinmi should get the nod again after netting the early winner in Prague at the weekend.

Roma vs Vikoria Plzen Odds

The Giallorossi are big favourites for the three points, with Betfred pricing them at 1/3 for the victory. Plzen are a 15/2 shout, with the draw available at 9/2.

The first-goalscorer market is littered with Roma players, with Dovbyk most fancied at 10/3. Ferguson is 7/2 and Dybala 4/1, while top-scorer Matias Soule can be backed at 9/2.

Today's Football Fixtures

Handicap +1: Tie @ 13/5

Roma’s games this season have been nothing if not tight. In nine matches, they have won by a single goal five times and all three of their defeats have finished 1-0.

Only against Verona did they win by two goals, and Gasperini’s attack-first philosophy from his Atalanta days have not yet been transferred to Trigoria.

While that trend has to be bucked at some point, I think this could turn into another nip-and-tuck fixture. Plzen are far from one of the giants of the European game, but they have been tough to break down in the competition so far.

The visitors also have a new head coach, meaning many of their players will be looking to outperform themselves. And they should make the game difficult for Roma as a result.

Although I see the Lupi coming out on top in the end, it won’t be by much, so the one-goal handicap tying things up is an appealing bet at 13/5 with an implied probability of 27.8% looking on the low side.

Football Odds

Matias Soule First Goalscorer @ 9/2

Soule has been the one constant bright spark in an attacking sense for Roma so far, with five goal involvements in nine games.

The 22-year-old Argentine ought to be given the start once again, and so long as that’s the case he has to be a fair bet for the opening goal.

He has netted two of the Giallorossi’s last three goals, and at 9/2 he looks like the value pick to break the deadlock.

Offers

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