Roma vs Stuttgart Prediction: High stakes to trigger goals in Rome

Roma and VfB Stuttgart head into Thursday's Uefa Europa League clash (20:00 GMT, TNT Sports 3) at the Stadio Olimpico in strong positions to qualify directly for the round of 16 as they are just one point outside the top eight with two games left to play.

Goal difference is the only thing separating the two sides right now, so this looks like an exciting contest on paper. Read on for my Roma vs Stuttgart predictions, surrounded by the latest match odds and team news.

Team News

Roma forward Evan Ferguson is expected to be back in contention here after recovering from the back injury he picked up earlier in the month against Sassuolo.

Defender Mario Hermoso faces a month on the sidelines after going off injured against Torino last time out, while Artem Dovbyk (groin), Zeki Celik (muscle) and Pierluigi Gollini (unspecified) are also confined to the medical bay.

The hosts have this week been left a man light after Leon Bailey returned to parent club Aston Villa. Donyell Malen, who signed permanently from Villa last week, is ineligible to feature as he is not registered in the Giallorossi's league phase squad.

Football Odds

Stuttgart will be without the services of their top scorer in Europe, Bilal El Khannouss, who has netted three times this campaign. The Moroccan is suspended due to an accumulation of yellow cards.

Deniz Undav is their top scorer in the Bundesliga with 10 goals, while he has just one to his name in the Europa League. He does, however, have the joint-most assists in the competition with three.

Angelo Stiller is a doubt after picking up a knock against Union Berlin, while Dan-Axel Zagadou (muscle), Luca Jaquez (thigh) and Lazar Jovanovic (back) are all expected to miss out.

Today's Football Fixtures

Roma vs Stuttgart Odds

Roma have won their last three matches in Europe and they are 19/20 to come away with the three points.

The hosts haven't drawn any of their past 34 matches in all competitions but the stalemate is priced at 13/5.

Stuttgart have also won three Europa League games on the spin and they are 11/4 to come out on top.

Undav is 13/2 to record his fourth European assist of the campaign via the Bet Builder tab.

Both Teams To Score & Over/Under 2.5 Goals - Yes & Over @ 11/10

It's crunch time in the Europa League and these next two games are crucial for these two teams, who are both looking to pounce and barge their way into the top eight.

As I mentioned before, they are only separated by goal difference, having both won four and lost two of their first six fixtures. Stuttgart have historically not been happy travellers in Europe but their recent 4-0 win at Go Ahead Eagles may just have given a lift ahead of this trip to Rome.

Roma have so far lost two of their three home matches but after three victories on the spin, and the stakes high with Stuttgart being a direct rival, three points would be very valuable here.

The market that stands out for me is BTTS - Yes and over 2.5 goals, which has been a winning selection in three of the Giallorossi's six outings in the UEL. This bet has also been successful in two of the visitors' appearances during the league phase.

Anytime Goalscorer - Evan Ferguson @ 7/5

It took a while for Ferguson to get going at Roma, but since November, the Irishman has scored five goals in all competitions, with three coming in his previous eight appearances heading into Thursday's clash.

This includes a brace in the last Europa League fixture, which was a 3-0 triumph at Celtic. The Brighton & Hove Albion loanee has had a tough time in the last two years but it looks like he is regaining his confidence in Italy.

He is expected to return to the team after a brief absence and I think he could have a key role against Stuttgart. Ferguson's recent form makes him stand out in the goalscorer market, particularly as Stuttgart have lost two of their three away trips in this competition to date.

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